Penn State Hosts Battle of the Keystone State Against Pittsburgh Tuesday
Nittany Lions conclude nine-game home stand with in-state midweek clash against rival Panthers
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Softball prepares for its final non-conference contest of the 2025 campaign and will conclude its nine-game April homestand on Tuesday night, April 15, as the Nittany Lions welcome the Pittsburgh Panthers to Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field for an in-state midweek clash. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. (ET), with the game set to stream live to a worldwide audience via B1G+.
PROMOTIONS AND PARKING
Fans from across the Commonwealth are invited to attend Tuesday night’s midweek contest, as PSU hosts the Battle of the Keystone State against the Panthers. As always, fans of all ages are encouraged to attend to take part in a family-friendly evening of college softball action, including poster giveaways and the Penn State Softball Dino Races 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 final home midweek contest and non-conference matchup of the 2025 season against Pittsburgh will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app on connected devices. Josh Bartosik and Thomas English will call the action live from the Beard Field press box. Links to view Penn State’s contest against Pittsburgh 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. 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
With a dominant 11-2, five-inning upset over the No. 22 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, April 12, PSU secured its first nationally ranked victory of the 2025 season and paired that with the team’s first ranked win since toppling then-No. 16 Arkansas in extra innings on February 10, 2024. The result also stands as the only Nittany Lion victory over a nationally ranked opponent via the run rule in program history according to Penn State’s available records. Junior catcher Madison Seidel put together the most statistically dominant week of her career in PSU’s contests against Saint Francis and Ohio State, hitting to the tune of a .556 average with three home runs and a double. Seidel, a native of Hilltown, Pennsylvania, turned in a week-long OPS of 2.250 against some of the nation’s strongest nationally ranked opposition. In Penn State’s series-opening performance against the Buckeyes, sophomore designated player Brooke Klosowicz became the Penn State single-season program record holder with 19 doubles in her second collegiate campaign. The Johnsburg, Illinois, native currently ranks as the national statistical leader in the category while ranking second nationally in doubles per game with 0.48.
WHO’S UPSET?
Powered by a third-inning grand slam from fifth-year first baseman Meagan Ricks and a dominant performance in the circle from freshman right-handed pitcher Abigail Britton, Penn State rolled to a crushing 11-2, run-rule upset victory over the 22nd-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, April 12 from Beard Field. The Nittany Lions booked their first victory over an opponent ranked in the NFCA/GoRout Division I Coaches Poll in the 2025 campaign. Penn State also experienced the team’s first win over a ranked challenger since toppling then-No. 16 Arkansas by a 3-2 differential in eight innings of action during the Paradise Classic on February 10, 2024, from Boca Raton, Florida. The result also stands as the only Nittany Lion victory over a nationally ranked opponent via the run rule in program history according to Penn State’s available records. PSU’s dominant nine-run differential is the largest win over Ohio State in the all-time series history, dating back to the 1975 campaign. The next-closest run differential for PSU in a win over the Buckeyes came in an eight-run, 10-2 victory over OSU on the road in Columbus on May 11, 2011. The weekend series also featured a significant individual milestone for sophomore designated player Brooke Klosowicz, who booked a two-RBI double in the first game of the weekend to set the PSU single-season doubles record with 19.
Pittsburgh at Penn State
14-26 | 4-14 ACC
20-20 | 6-7 B1G
Introducing Pittsburgh
ABOUT THE PANTHERS
Under the direction of second-year skipper and long-time head coaching veteran Jenny Allard, the Pittsburgh Panthers enter Tuesday night’s in-state midweek battle managing a 14-26 overall record paired with a 4-14 start to Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Panthers and Nittany Lions are both coming off marquee upsets in conference competition at home last weekend, with the Nittany Lion rout of Ohio State joined by a stunning 5-3 Panther upset of the 16th-ranked Duke Blue Devils from Vartabedian Field. Pitt mustered its highest ranked victory since the 2022 campaign despite the Blue Devils taking the series by a 2-1 differential.
At the dish, a pair of student-athletes boast batting averages in excess of .300, with Kylie Griggs leading the way with a .311 mark paired with a dozen doubles and five home runs. Ahmari Braden owns a .310 batting average to rank second on the roster, while Kaitlyn Brannstrom owns the highest RBI tally on the team with 23. Pitching staff ace Kyra Pittman has pitched the plurality of innings for the Panthers this season with 116.1, leading the roster in appearances (28), starts (22) and WHIP (1.45) while working with a 4.63 ERA. Gwen Sparks owns the most strikeouts on the team by one with 44 this season while leading the staff with a 4.05 ERA.
STORY OF THE SERIES
In an all-time series that features two of the largest athletics brands in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Penn State and Pittsburgh prepare to square off for the 28th time ever since the inaugural fixture between the two Keystone foes in 2000. Penn State has won each of the last four games in the series dating to the last Panther victory in the 2019 campaign. Under the direction of fifth-year head coach Clarisa Crowell, Penn State has won all three matchups and has not surrendered a run to the Panthers, outscoring their arch-rival by an 8-0 differential in the last three meetings.
Last season’s scheduled midweek meeting in Pittsburgh was canceled and ultimately not rescheduled due to inclement weather concerns throughout the Commonwealth. Tuesday’s matchup will mark the first instance of consecutive meetings in Happy Valley since PSU split a doubleheader with Pitt at Beard Field on April 3, 2012. The most recent battle between Pittsburgh and Penn State took place on March 21, 2023, when the Blue & White walked the Panthers off with a 1-0, eight-inning instant-classic that featured a wide array of individual achievements. Then-senior Bailey Parshall booked her 700th career strikeout in the win, while then-junior designated player Emily Maddock booked the walk-off single that propelled PSU to victory.
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.