Penn State Hosts No. 22 Ohio State for B1G Softball Series
Nittany Lions host pivotal three-game weekend set against nationally ranked Buckeyes at Beard Field
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State softball lays its nine-game home winning streak on the line and resumes Big Ten Conference competition this weekend, as the Blue & White play host to a pivotal three-game league series against the 22nd-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes this Friday through Sunday, April 11 through 13, from Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field.
Action begins on Friday night, with a 5 p.m. (ET) matchup on deck. Play continues on Saturday afternoon with a 2 p.m. (ET) start time, and the series is slated to conclude on Sunday at Noon (ET) with all three games set to stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app.
PROMOTIONS AND PARKING
Penn State’s weekend series against the Buckeyes will feature a variety of promotions and activities, beginning with PSU’s 800-strong game on Friday where student-athletes from all 31 varsity sport programs are invited to attend and support Nittany Lion softball. Saturday’s game will serve as the program’s alumni celebration, with the team set to wear their pink and black throwback uniform combination to celebrate. Finally, Sunday’s action will serve as PSU’s 60th Anniversary Season celebration and Teammates for Life recognition. As always, fans of all ages are encouraged to attend to take part in a family-friendly weekend of college softball action, including poster giveaways, autograph opportunities and the Penn State Softball Dino Race in the fourth inning of each game.
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 game days. 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
Penn State’s pivotal Big Ten Conference home series against Ohio State will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app on connected devices. Michael Siroty, Thomas English and Allie Wenskoski will call the action from the Beard Field press box across the three contests, with Cailey Thalman set to report from the sidelines. Links to view Penn State’s contests against Ohio State live, or view replays of past PSU games at home or on the road in Big Ten Conference play are always available at BigTenPlus.com. Fans in Central Pennsylvania and around the world are also invited to listen in to the live radio broadcast for all three games at the links on the Penn State softball schedule webpage, or by visiting LionVision. 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
The Nittany Lions return to action following a dominant Wednesday-night win over the Saint Francis Red Flash, taking the contest by a 15-3 differential in five innings of play. With PSU’s 15-11 win over Rutgers last Saturday already in hand, the Blue & White mustered back-to-back 15-run offensive performances for the first time in program history. Junior catcher Madison Seidel highlighted the fireworks inside the batter’s box, matching the program’s single-game home run record with a pair of dingers in addition to tying for the third-most RBI in a single game with six. America’s doubles leader, sophomore designated player Brooke Klosowicz, extended her nation’s-best tally to 18 in Wednesday night’s win over Saint Francis with a two-RBI two-bagger. Klosowicz, a native of Johnsburg, Illinois, continues to impress in the box across the board, leading PSU with a .476 average paired with 37 runs batted in.
HOME COOKIN’
The Nittany Lions have been dominant since kicking off their home slate during the Penn State Softball Invitational, rattling off nine-straight home-opening victories to match the Nittany Lion Softball Park facility record for a home-opening win streak. Last year’s roster went unbeaten through their first nine tries at home before dropping a narrow 2-0 decision in nine innings to Maryland on March 29. PSU has experienced multiple offensive milestones on their home field in 2025, with highlights including a 23-0 rout of Fairfield on Friday, March 9, that featured the third-most runs scored in a single game in program history. In their most recent contests at Beard Field, Penn State booked back-to-back performances with 15 runs scored to mark the first instance of consecutive 15-run showings in program history. As a team, the Blue & White own a .473 batting average in Nittany Lion home games while holding opponents to a meager .215 average at home. Every student-athlete with at least one game started across all nine Nittany Lion home games is hitting above .333, with five players boasting home batting averages of .500 or better. Junior Jenna Nelson has been dominant on her home turf, with the Swedesboro, New Jersey, native concocting a .600 average with four doubles and two home runs to amass a 1.736 OPS from Beard Field.
#22 Ohio State at Penn State
31-9-1 | 6-4 B1G
19-18 | 5-5 B1G
Introducing Ohio State
INTRODUCING THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State has surged to the top of the national conversation under the direction of first-year head coach Kirin Kumar, with the Buckeyes boasting the nation’s No. 22 ranking in the NFCA/GoRout Coaches Poll while managing a 31-9-1 overall record and 6-4 start to Big Ten play. The Buckeyes have impressed with multiple key victories, both in and out of conference competition. Ohio State boasts wins over Missouri and Georgia, as well as three B1G series victories over Nebraska, Michigan State and Indiana. OSU battled UCLA on the road in Los Angeles last weekend, suffering a pair of defeats by seven-or-more runs. Additionally, Ohio State toppled Pittsburgh in dominant 12-2, run-rule fashion in midweek action this Wednesday.
The Scarlet & Grey are in the midst of one of the most statistically significant offensive seasons in recent memory, with the Buckeyes leading all of college softball in runs, home runs and RBI. Jasmyn Burns has highlighted OSU’s dominant offensive start, with the sophomore utility player owning the most total bases in college softball (130) in addition to a .491 average with 19 homers. Ohio State has called on a trio of pitchers to toss the majority of their innings, with Lorin Boutte leading the way with 93.0 and a 3.91 earned run average. Kennedy Kay and Layna Gerhard both own ERA’s under 5.00, with both pitchers adding at least 53.0 frames.
STORY OF THE SERIES
One of Penn State’s longest-running active series against a Big Ten Conference opponent will be renewed on Friday evening, with PSU set to participate in the 100th, 101st and 102nd all-time meetings since the inaugural matchup in Columbus in 1975. In one of the more fascinating scheduling anomalies in B1G history, PSU and Ohio State will square off in a three-game weekend series for the first time since 2021 and just the second time since 2013. The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes have met in midweek doubleheaders in every other season since then. Ohio State has swept each of the last two midweek twin bills, with the Buckeyes carrying a four-game win streak in the series into this weekend’s matchup.
Penn State is seeking its second win against the Buckeyes since 2021, with the Nittany Lions last toppling OSU by a 4-2 differential in Columbus on April 26, 2022. The last series in Happy Valley saw OSU take home 9-5 and 4-1 victories during the 2023 campaign. Last season’s midweek doubleheader in Columbus saw the Buckeyes pick up a pair of back-and-forth wins, booking a 16-8 differential in the opener before eking out a 2-1 result in the nightcap. Then-junior Maddie Gordon hit a grand slam on the evening in the lid-lifter, while Bridget Nemeth booked a pair of starts in the circle.
#22 Ohio State at Penn State
31-9-1 | 6-4 B1G
19-18 | 5-5 B1G
#22 Ohio State at Penn State
31-9-1 | 6-4 B1G
19-18 | 5-5 B1G
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.