Nittany Lions Welcome Saint Francis for Wednesday Midweek
Penn State lays four-game win streak on the line in non-conference battle with Red Flash
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State softball looks to continue its winning ways from the last week in the team’s penultimate non-conference matchup of the 2025 campaign on Wednesday night, as the Nittany Lions play host to the Saint Francis Red Flash in midweek action from Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. (ET).
PROMOTIONS AND PARKING
Penn State softball welcomes fans to Happy Valley on Wednesday to take part in the program’s annual All-Cancer Awareness game, where the Nittany Lions will stand in solidarity against cancer while raising awareness for organizations battling for the cure. PSU will wear their pink uniforms in support of the cause, and the game will also feature a pregame recognition. 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 second home midweek contest of the 2025 season against Saint Francis will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app on connected devices. Michael Siroty and Allie Wenskoski will call the action from the Beard Field press box, with Cailey Thalman set to report live from the sidelines. Links to view Penn State’s contest against SFU 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
PSU returns to action following a dominant weekend of performances on the B1G stage against Rutgers, with the Blue & White working for their first series sweep of the 2025 campaign in addition to the first weekend sweep since downing Indiana in the inaugural week of league play in 2024. In the series finale, a 15-11 Nittany Lion win, sophomore Brooke Klosowicz made PSU history by mashing the team’s 54th home run of the season to mark a Penn State program record in the category. Klosowicz continues to lead the Nittany Lions in a myraid of statistics, highlighted by the best batting average on the roster with a .480 mark paired with 34 runs batted in to tie atop the team’s table alongside senior outfielder Haylie Brunson. In the circle, senior right-hander and Lansdale, Pennsylvania, native Mady Volpe mustered her first complete game of the season against Rutgers on Friday, with the veteran northpaw continuing to lead the Blue & White with a 3.69 ERA.
SCARLET FRIGHTS
Penn State is fresh off one of its strongest weekends of the 2025 campaign, with the Nittany Lions taking all three games in a Big Ten Conference series against Rutgers last weekend in Happy Valley. A pair of complete games in the circle highlighted Friday’s series-opening doubleheader, with senior Mady Volpe logging a 2-1 win while freshman Abigail Britton notched a six-inning shutout for an 8-0 result in game two. The third game of the weekend featured an offensive onslaught by both teams, with PSU ultimately coming away with a hard-fought, 15-11 win. A trio of home runs, highlighted by a solo shot from Klosowicz in the bottom of the third, saw PSU book the program’s single season record in the statistic with their 52nd, 53rd and 54th home runs of the campaign. Overall, the Nittany Lions booked their second series sweep against the Scarlet Knights in the last three seasons, including the second-straight sweep of Rutgers at Beard Field. Additionally, the Blue & White notched their first sweep of an opponent in the 2025 campaign and experienced their first sweep of a conference opponent since dispatching with the Indiana Hoosiers in a trio of opportunities at home from March 22 through 24, 2024.
Saint Francis at Penn State
14-20 | 7-5 NEC
18-18 | 5-5 B1G
Introducing Saint Francis
ABOUT THE RED FLASH
Under the guidance of second-year head coach Beth Krysiak, the Saint Francis Red Flash enter Wednesday night’s competition in Happy Valley managing a 14-20 overall record paired with a competitive 7-5 start to Northeast Conference play. The Red Flash are in the midst of a four-game losing skid and have managed a 4-6 overall record in their last 10 total opportunities. The Red Flash have battled a single common opponent with PSU through the early going in the 2025 campaign, with SFU dropping a tough midweek doubleheader against the Robert Morris Colonials on the road in Moon Township. RMU took the first game by an 11-7 differential and followed that up with a 5-4 win in the nightcap. Penn State toppled Robert Morris by an 18-6 score in five innings earlier this year in Salem, Virginia.
A trio of individuals hitting above .300 grace the Saint Francis lineup, with junior Savannah Nash headlining the group with a .412 average, 1.193 OPS and nine home runs to lead all Red Flash bats. Olivia Ulam boasts an impressive .337 start to the season in the batter’s box, while Hannah Bendle owns a .318 average overall. Four student-athletes have seen time in the circle for SFU, with just two players surpassing 36 innings pitched. Allie Braly leads the staff with a 2.67 ERA, 10 complete games and seven victories while Olivia Kolowitz leads the roster in pitching appearances with 19 this year.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State and Saint Francis gear up for their 49th all-time meeting since 1990 on Wednesday night in Happy Valley, with the Blue & White boasting a commanding 39-9 overall lead in the series that began with a 27-game PSU win streak from 1990 to 2009. Wednesday’s matchup will take on a bittersweet tone as one of the final opportunities for the two programs to meet as Division I challengers. Earlier this spring, SFU announced plans to reclassify to an NCAA Division III institution beginning in the 2026-27 academic year, which would put an end to one of the Nittany Lions’ longest-running continuous non-conference series.
Since the arrival of Clarisa Crowell to Happy Valley in the 2021 season, Penn State has never surrendered a victory to the Red Flash despite an impressive run of conference championship performances by the in-state foe. PSU is 4-0 against SFU since 2022, with Crowell’s individual win streak against the Red Flash standing concurrent with the program’s. Last season, the two squads met on a pair of occasions in non-conference competition, with PSU first downing the Red Flash by a 2-0 differential during the Liberty Softball Classic on February 23, 2024, in Lynchburg, Virginia, the first meeting away from University Park since 1996. In the teams’ annual midweek battle in Happy Valley on April 23, the Nittany Lions needed extras to book a gritty 3-2 win.
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.