LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Penn State softball and head coach Clarisa Crowell announced the Nittany Lions participation in the 2025 NFCA Leadoff Classic Monday afternoon following a release from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. PSU is set to square off against a trio of NCAA Tournament foes from the 2024 campaign, highlighted by a pair of Super Regional squads and one Women’s College World Series participant.
The Blue & White kick off the program’s 61st varsity season on Friday, February 7, as the Nittany Lions square off against the defending WCWS challenger Duke Blue Devils in a 5 p.m. (ET) first pitch from the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Florida. Penn State’s challenging weekend of matchups continues with a 8 p.m. (ET) first pitch later that evening against fellow the 2024 NCAA Regional participant Mississippi State Bulldogs. PSU will play a pair of games on Saturday, February 8, battling a 2024 Super Regional host in the Missouri Tigers at noon (ET) before a 6 p.m. (ET) challenge against the Kennesaw State Owls. Penn State’s opening weekend on Florida’s gulf coast closes out with a 10 a.m. (ET) test against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday, February 9.
One of the youngest programs in the nation, the Duke Blue Devils open up their eighth season in program history against the Nittany Lions following a dominant 52-9 effort that resulted in an Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and a trip to the 2024 Women’s College World Series. Duke swept their way past Morgan State and South Carolina in the Durham regional, upset Missouri on the road in the Columbia Super Regional by a 2-1 tally, and ultimately concluded their campaign with losses to eventual national champion Oklahoma and Alabama.
Mississippi State gears up for its 2024 season following a solid 34-20 showing a year ago that included an even 12-12 finish in Southeastern Conference play. The Bulldogs suffered an opening round loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first round of the SEC Tournament, and ultimately bowed their way out of the NCAA Stanford Regional following a competitive loss to the host-Cardinal and a 7-0 defeat at the hands of Cal State Fullerton.
Fresh off one of the strongest seasons in school history, the Missouri Tigers enter the fray in Clearwater following a 48-18 effort in the 2024 season highlighted by a 13-win campaign in Southeastern Conference play. The Tigers participated in last year’s NFCA Leadoff Classic, going 5-0 at the event, and ultimately playing their way into the No. 7 national seed. The Tigers went 4-1 at their own regional in Columbia and closed the year out with a 2-1 series loss to Duke on their home field in the Columbia Super Regional.
Kennesaw State and Notre Dame round out the quintet of Nittany Lion opponents on opening weekend, with the Owls and Fighting Irish both looking to leverage a strong start into an NCAA Regional bid in 2025 after missing the tournament last season. The Fighting Irish finished the season 27-23 overall and 9-15 in ACC play, while the Owls published a 16-37 overall record with an 8-13 mark in the Atlantic Sun.
Penn State returns 15 letterwinners from a 2024 roster which recorded the program’s first NCAA Regional appearance since 2011 in addition to booking the third-most wins in a single season in school history. The Blue & White turned in a dozen Big Ten Conference victories in the 2024 season, marking the fourth-most league wins in program annals. The Nittany Lions return 2024 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and NFCA First Team All-Great Lakes Region pitcher Bridget Nemeth, as well as Second Team All-Big Ten selection Maddie Gordon.
The Blue & White battled multiple quality opponents over the course of the 2024 season, highlighted by a 3-2 victory in eight innings of play against then-No. 16 Arkansas on the opening weekend of the year at the Paradise Classic on the campus of FAU. The Nittany Lions also mustered multiple crucial victories over fellow NCAA Tournament participants last season, logging nine wins combined against Morgan State, Saint Francis, Arkansas, FAU and Indiana. PSU is fresh off its third consecutive 30-win season, one of the strongest stretches of sustained success in Nittany Lion softball history heading into Crowell’s fifth season at the helm in Happy Valley.
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