Nittany Lions Set to Host Penn State Softball Invitational
Blue & White welcome Canisius, Fairfield and Lafayette to Beard Field for home-opening weekend
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State softball prepares to kick off its 15th season at Nittany Lion Softball & Beard Field this weekend, Friday through Sunday, March 7 through 9, as the Blue & White play host to nine games at the fourth consecutive Penn State Softball Invitational.
The Nittany Lions welcome the Canisius Golden Griffins, Fairfield Stags and Lafayette Leopards for four combined games on the weekend in an adjusted schedule than previously announced. Action begins Friday with a 4 p.m. (ET) battle against the Golden Griffins, followed by a 6:30 p.m. (ET) test against the Stags. After taking a hiatus on Saturday, PSU closes things out with a 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. (ET) doubleheader against Fairfield and Lafayette Sunday.
PARKING & PROMOTIONS
General admission seating is free for all Penn State softball home games at Nittany Lion Softball Park & Beard Field. Parking for all games in the 2025 Penn State softball season is now available online or via the ParkMobile app, with fans encouraged to prepay for parking to avoid additional fees on gamedays. Click the link here to be directed to the parking hub for Nittany Lion Softball Park & Beard Field and select either a full season pass or single-game parking pass at the purchaser’s discretion. Parking is available in the Stadium West, Jordan East or Porter North lots at a rate of $5.50 per game, or $5 per game when purchasing a full season pass. Day-of event parking will be $10 without a valid permit or prepayment, with fans encouraged to pay at payment stations around the lot, or via the ParkMobile app. Prepayment availability ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) the night before each scheduled game day. Events will not be selectable on the site after that time, and payment must then be made on site upon arrival.
Follow the Action
All nine games of the 2025 Penn State Softball Invitational will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app on connected devices, with the four Penn State games at the tournament set to include a full-fledged broadcast with announcers and multiple camera angles. Neutral site games hosted at Nittany Lion Softball Park & Beard Field will also stream via B1G+, with a limited broadcast available. Links to view all nine contests live are available on the Penn State softball schedule webpage, or at BigTenPlus.com. Live stat links are available for all games on the Penn State softball schedule webpage or via the team’s StatBroadcast central hub at the link here.
QUICK HITS
PSU is fresh off one of its most productive weekends of the 2025 season to date, with the Nittany Lions going 3-2 at the Hokie Invite last weekend in Salem, Virginia. Penn State opened the weekend with an 18-6, five-inning thrashing of Robert Morris on the first day of the tournament, scoring the most runs in a single game at PSU since 1978. Individually, senior third baseman Maddie Gordon made waves at the plate last weekend, cracking the top 10 in the Penn State record book for home runs in a Nittany Lion career. Gordon now stands in eighth all-time at PSU with 21 dingers, needing just two to tie and three to surpass Jennifer Tripken’s 23 homers in seventh place.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?
The Nittany Lions are fresh off a successful 3-2 weekend at the Hokie Invite, hosted by Virginia Tech from the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Virginia. PSU picked up wins over Robert Morris, Radford and Villanova while dropping competitive battles to both James Madison and No. 15 Virginia Tech on the weekend. Penn State’s defense took a major step forward last weekend, improving to .977 in the fielding percentage department across all five games compared to a .945 FLD% through the first three weeks. On the offensive end, Penn State’s team batting average rose from .289 through three weeks to an impressive .331 mark following last weekend’s competitions. The team additionally hit 11 home runs last weekend, the same number of homers that the team hit over the first three weeks of the year combined. PSU slugged at a .662 rate last weekend compared to a .457 SLG% through the first three weeks. In the team’s 18-6, five-inning rout of RMU, the Blue & White amassed the most runs scored in a PSU softball game since booking a 20-1 win over Ursinus College in University Park on May 6, 1978.
Canisius at Penn State
3-7 | 0-0 MAAC
8-11 | 0-0 B1G
Introducing Canisius
ABOUT THE GOLDEN GRIFFINS
Under the direction of head coach Kim Griffin, the Canisius Golden Griffins head to Happy Valley to take part in five games over the weekend after logging a 3-7 start to the 2025 season. The Golden Griffins are fresh off a 1-2 performance at the Pirate Invitational hosted by ECU, with Canisius besting common PSU opponent Loyola Chicago. Ella Johel leads the way on the offensive side of the ball, hitting to the tune of a .429 average with a 1.183 OPS aided by a pair of home runs and six RBI. In the circle, Olivia Manchester leads the way with a 1.91 ERA and a 3-0 individual record in 29.1 innings.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State and Canisius get set to square off in non-conference competition for the sixth time ever in an all-time series that dates to the 1990 campaign. The Blue & White own a 4-1 advantage over the Golden Griffins, with the four wins coming in the four most recent meetings between the two squads. PSU and Canisius have battled in each of the last two seasons at the PSU Invitational, with the Nittany Lions outpacing the Golden Griffins by a combined 15-2 tally in that two-year span.
Fairfield at Penn State
2-8 | 0-0 MAAC
8-11 | 0-0 B1G
Introducing Fairfield
ABOUT THE STAGS
Led by head coach Julie Brzezinski, the Fairfield Stags head to Happy Valley to take part in this year’s tournament with a 2-8 overall record. Fairfield is fresh off a 1-4 outing at the GATA Challenge, with the Stags picking up a gritty 8-5, 10-inning victory over the Campbell Camels in Statesboro, Georgia. Fairfield is led by a pair of impressive offensive contributors in Quinn McGonigle and Anna Paravate, who own .450 and .387 batting averages to date, respectively, while pitchers Peyton Shields and Alyssa Weinberg boast 1.69 and 2.42 earned run averages in the circle, respectively.
STORY OF THE SERIES
The Nittany Lions will challenge their second opponent out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference this season in the Fairfield Stags, with both the Stags and Golden Griffins participating in MAAC competition this season. PSU will battle Fairfield for the first time ever this weekend, with the Nittany Lions boasting an 11-1 edge on the conference with the only loss coming to Canisius in 1990.
Fairfield at Penn State
2-8 | 0-0 MAAC
8-11 | 0-0 B1G
Lafayette at Penn State
0-12 | 0-0 PATRIOT
8-11 | 0-0 B1G
Introducing Lafayette
ABOUT THE LEOPARDS
First-year head coach Kelliner Croushore leads the Lafayette Leopards into action this weekend with an 0-12 overall record, most recently suffering an 0-4 weekend of run-rule defeats at the hands of Indiana, East Carolina and host-Clemson at the Tiger Invitational last weekend in South Carolina. Mary Grace O’Neill anchors the Leopard offense at the plate with a .421 average paired with a .989 OPS, while the pitching trio of Marisa Powell, Sophia Backus-Alvarez and Parker Rowden have combined to toss all but 8.2 innings this year.
STORY OF THE SERIES
The Blue & White will face off against the Lafayette Leopards for the first time ever this weekend at Beard Field, with PSU set to face off against its sixth Patriot League opponent in program history when they take the field this weekend. The Nittany Lions boast a 46-12 all-time record against the Patriot League, with the vast majority of those contests coming against the Bucknell Bison, a series that PSU leads by a dominaint 35-9 differential dating to Penn State’s first-ever game against a DI foe in 1966.
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.