Penn State Returns to South Florida for Fonseca Memorial Tournament at USF
Nittany Lions head back to Tampa metro area to square off against St. John’s, USF and Loyola Chicago
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Penn State softball returns to the Sunshine State of Florida and the Tampa metro area for the second week in a row, as the Nittany Lions prepare to take part in The Fonseca Memorial Tournament at USF from the USF Softball Stadium the weekend of Friday through Sunday, February 14 through 16.
The Nittany Lions open the tournament on Friday with a 9 a.m. (ET) start against St. John’s, followed by a 2 p.m. (ET) meeting with host USF. On Saturday, PSU will battle Loyola Chicago at 9 a.m. (ET), with the two tournament semifinals scheduled for later in the afternoon. The Nittany Lions will wrap the tournament with their finale Sunday, with opponent and time TBD.
Follow the Action
Penn State’s scheduled matchup against USF on Friday afternoon will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Fans are invited to follow along with Friday afternoon’s coverage, with Ryan Urquhart providing play-by-play commentary while Alex Powers serves as the broadcast’s color commentator. Any additional contests featuring Penn State against USF will also stream via ESPN+, with further details regarding start times and opponent designations set to be announced when available via the Penn State softball social media channels. Fans are encouraged to follow along with the Penn State softball social channels for live updates against St. John’s and Loyola Chicago. Live stats for all games will be available at the links above or on the Penn State softball schedule webpage, and tickets for the tournament are also available through USF’s ticketing vendor, Ticketmaster.
QUICK HITS
The Nittany Lions are led offensively by the pairing of sophomore infielder Brooke Klosowicz and freshman outfielder Natalie Lieto, who both hit well above .400 in Penn State’s five-game opening weekend at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida. Senior right-handed pitcher Mady Volpe stole the show in last weekend’s competition against some of the strongest opponents in the nation, tossing a Big Ten-leading 17.2 innings with a 0.40 ERA in the process. Volpe, a native of Lansdale, Pennsylvania, put together a gold-glove caliber weekend of defensive effort as well with eight assists and a 1.000 fielding percentage.
LEADING THINGS OFF
Penn State opened its 60th anniversary season in the Sunshine State last weekend, February 7 through 9, at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic from the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Florida. The Nittany Lions faced off against four power conference opponents and a trio of nationally ranked foes, going 1-4 overall. The Nittany Lions opened the 2025 season with a 7-0 defeat at the hands of defending Women’s College World Series participant Duke, followed by a heartbreaking 10-9 loss to No. 13 Texas Tech on opening night. PSU led by a 9-5 margin heading into the seventh against TTU before allowing a five-run frame from the Red Raiders. PSU closed the weekend out with a 9-1, run rule win over Kennesaw State, a 6-1 loss to No. 24 Mississippi State, and a 4-2 defeat against Notre Dame. Freshman outfielder Natalie Lieto impressed in her debutant weekend, hitting to the tune of a .714 average with a double, triple and pair of RBI. Sophomore third baseman Brooke Klosowicz was named to the NFCA Leadoff Classic All-Tournament Team following a 6-for-14 weekend with three runs, four RBI and her first collegiate home run. Junior outfielder Jenna Nelson rounded out the three Penn Staters above the .300 mark, hitting .308.
Penn State vs. St. John's
1-4 | 0-0 B1G
1-3-1 | 0-0 Big East
Introducing St. John's
ABOUT THE RED STORM
Under the direction of second-year head coach Michelle DePolo, the St. John’s Red Storm enter their second weekend of competition this season wielding a 1-3-1 overall record after an opening weekend sojourn through southeast Texas. The Red Storm booked a 5-0 true road victory over Houston Christian, dropped a trio of games to No. 1 Texas, Houston and Lamar, and logged a travel-induced tie with New Mexico. SJU is led at the dish by Natalie Casto’s .375 average and Anese Thompson’s 1.117 OPS, while Loreley Francia paces the squad in the circle with a 1.84 ERA and a 1-2 individual record after appearing in all five games last week.
STORY OF THE SERIES
St. John’s and Penn State will square off on the softball diamond for the third time in each program’s respective history, with the Nittany Lions and Red Storm preparing to challenge one another for the first time since 2004. Both of the prior contests came in Tallahassee, Florida, with PSU logging a 6-0 win in 2002, as well as a 5-2 victory on March 6, 2004, amounting to an 11-2 all-time run differential.
Penn State at USF
1-4 | 0-0 B1G
5-2 | 0-0 AAC
Introducing USF
ABOUT THE BULLS
Veteran head coach Ken Eriksen leads the USF Bulls into its second consecutive weekend of home action in an 18-game season-opening homestand, with the team boasting a 3-2 overall record on opening weekend in addition to a 5-2 overall mark following a doubleheader sweep of FGCU on Wednesday. USF booked wins over Delaware, Illinois State and Georgia Southern while dropping decisions to Michigan and No. 3 Florida at the team's season-opening tournament. Josie Foreman leads the way on the offensive end with a .636 batting average and 1.505 OPS through one week, while staff ace Payton Dixon directs things in the circle with a 2.71 ERA and a 3-0 individual record through 20.2 innings.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State and USF prepare to meet for the 26th time since the inaugural meeting of the two teams in 1985. The Nittany Lions and Bulls meet for the second time in the Clarisa Crowell era, which dates to the 2021 season. The Blue & White registered a 3-2 decision their last time out at USF, booking its most pivotal victory on an unbeaten 5-0 weekend at the 2023 USF Tournament on March 9 of that year. Over the last 10 meetings, Penn State and USF have each registered five wins apiece, with eight of those 10 contests coming on the USF campus since the year 2000.
Penn State vs. Loyola Chicago
1-4 | 0-0 B1G
1-4 | 0-0 A10
Introducing Loyola Chicago
ABOUT THE RAMBLERS
Led by sixth-year skipper Alicia Abbott, the Loyola Chicago Ramblers return to work following a 1-4 weekend of play at the UNI Dome Tournament hosted by UNI in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Ramblers opened the 2025 season with a 5-4 victory against North Dakota and followed that up with four-straight losses to Omaha, Northern Iowa and Drake. Loyola Chicago is led by Bella Crimaldi’s .400 average at the dish and a 4.85 ERA from pitcher Andie Broniewicz.
STORY OF THE SERIES
The Nittany Lions and Loyola Chicago will meet in softball for the second time ever this weekend in South Florida, with the Blue & White taking the only prior fixture between the two programs on March 6, 2013. The Blue & White utilized a seven-run fourth frame to come away with an 11-7, come-from-behind victory in Clearwater, Florida.
Fonseca Memorial Tournament Semifinal
1-4 | 0-0 B1G
Fonseca Memorial Tournament Final
1-4 | 0-0 B1G
The Fonseca Memorial Tournament at USF will feature six round-robin games with each of the tournament's four participants competing against each other once. The standings at the end of the round-robin portion will determine seeding for the tournament's semifinal matchups in bracket play. Teams will be seeded No. 1 through No. 4 based on their performance in the round-robin portion, with the No. 1 seed to play the No. 4 seed in a semifinal, while the No. 2 seed will play the No. 3 seed. The winners of each semifinal will compete in the tournament final on Sunday, while the losers of each semifinal will play in a third-place game. Regardless of seed, USF will participate in the 4:30 p.m. (ET) semifinal on Saturday, and the Noon (ET) final/third-place game on Sunday. Non-USF games in bracket play will take place at 2 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, and 9:30 a.m. (ET) on Sunday.
Follow the Nittany Lions
Visit GoPSUsports.com for more information on Penn State softball. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion softball team on Facebook at /pennstatesoftball as well as Instagram and X @PennStateSB.