Penn State Travels to Orlando for SpaceU Classic
Nittany Lions carry 8-2 overall record into competitive weekend tournament hosted by UCF
ORLANDO, Fla. – Penn State softball returns to the Sunshine State of Florida for the second time in the last three weeks, as the Nittany Lions travel to take part in the SpaceU Classic hosted by UCF.
PSU will take part in five contests against Charleston Southern, UCF, Ohio and Notre Dame over the three day event, slated to run Friday through Sunday, February 20 through 22 at the UCF Softball Complex. All five games in the weekend tournament will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via ESPN+ and the ESPN app. PSU battles CSU and UCF at 2 p.m. (ET) and 7 p.m. (ET) on Friday, followed by an 11:30 a.m. (ET) and 2 p.m. (ET) twin-bill against Ohio and Notre Dame on Saturday. Sunday’s getaway game against Charleston Southern gets underway at 9 a.m. (ET).
Follow the Action
All five games during Penn State’s weekend stay in Central Florida will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Fans are also encouraged to follow along with the Penn State softball social media channels for live updates against all four weekend opponents. Live stats for all games will be available at the links on the Penn State softball schedule webpage, and tickets for the tournament are also available through UCF’s ticketing vendor, Ticketmaster.
QUICK HITS
The Blue & White return to action following their second consecutive 4-1 weekend of play at the Houston Invitational, picking up a pair of victories over power four conference opponents by way of the run rule. The highlight of the weekend came in the tournament finale on Sunday, with Penn State throttling the in-state rival Pittsburgh Panthers by an 11-2 score in five innings of play. Freshman third baseman Allison Oneacre made national headlines last week, securing both D1Softball and Softball America National Freshman of the Week accolades in addition to earning Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. The Alpharetta, Georgia, native led the Nittany Lions in practically every statistical category, turning in a .583 batting average with six extra-base hits split between two doubles and four home runs. Oneacre added 10 RBI on the weekend and turned in a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage defensively as well. Junior designated player Brooke Klosowicz continued her torrid stretch at the plate last weekend as well, hitting to the tune of a .467 average with two home runs, five RBI and six runs scored. The Johnsburg, Illinois, native mustered the second-highest OPS on the roster behind Oneacre with a 1.423 mark.
AO… YEAH
Freshman third baseman Allison Oneacre has roared out of the gates in her first collegiate season, leading the Nittany Lions in multiple offensive statistics. The Alpharetta, Georgia, native has racked up a wide array of individual accolades over the last week, earning National Freshman of the Week honors from both D1Softball and Softball America. The rookie corner infielder also picked up Big Ten Freshman of the Week distinction, earning PSU’s first honor of that nature since the 2024 campaign. Oneacre has been dominant for Penn State in each of her first two weekends of collegiate competition, pacing the Blue & White with a season-long .407 batting average. The first-year sensation has established herself as one of the most prominent power hitters in all of Division I through this early point in the 2026 campaign, sitting in third place in the Big Ten Conference with six home runs and fifth nationally in that statistic. In terms of runs batted in, Oneacre own 16 on the year to rank fourth in the B1G and 17th in major college softball. Her powerful start to the year also features a top-25 slugging percentage in Division I, with the rookie boasting an eye-popping 1.148 slugging percentage to rank fifth in the Big Ten and 24th nationally.
Penn State vs. Charleston Southern
Record | 8-2 | 0-0 B1G
Record | 2-9 | 0-0 Big South
Introducing Charleston Southern
ABOUT THE BUCCANEERS
Directed by head coach Christi Musser, the Charleston Southern Buccaneers enter the weekend wielding a 2-9 overall record. CSU opened its season with a 1-5 finish at its season-opening tournament and following that up with a 1-4 record in the Lowcountry Classic. Blakley Kingsmore leads the team with a .438 batting average while Carsten Sandvig paces the squad with six RBI. Riley Lauffer leads the Buccaneers in the circle with a 5.19 earned run average.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Charleston Southern and Penn State will meet on the softball field for the first time in program history on Friday in Orlando.
Penn State at RV UCF
Record | 8-2 | 0-0 B1G
Record | 9-3 | 0-0 Big 12
Introducing RV UCF
ABOUT THE KNIGHTS
Head coach Cindy Ball-Malone brings the UCF Knights into their second home tournament in the first three weeks of the year after boasting a 9-3 start through the first two weeks of 2026. UCF enters the weekend receiving votes in the NFCA and USA Softball polls while coming in at No. 25 per D1Softball and Softball America. Sierra Humphreys highlights the bats with a .471 average, four homers and 15 RBI, while Isabella Vega leads a nine-woman pitching rotation with a 1.45 ERA.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State will face off against the UCF Knights for the fifth time in school history on Friday evening, with the Blue & White splitting the four prior meetings down the middle to the tune of a 2-2 record. Friday’s matchup will mark the first meeting since 2019 in addition to the third meeting in Orlando all-time. PSU picked up wins in the first two matchups, with UCF responding with back-to-back victories in 2018 and 2019.
Penn State vs. Ohio
Record | 8-2 | 0-0 B1G
Record | 7-2 | 0-0 MAC
Introducing Ohio
ABOUT THE BOBCATS
Led by head coach Jenna Hall, the Ohio Bobcats head into week three boasting an impressive 7-2 start to the 2026 campaign, sitting at the top of the Mid-American Conference leaderboard through this point in non-conference play. The Bobcats are paced by Belle Hummel at the plate, leading the team with an eye-popping .613 batting average coupled with 10 RBI in the early going. Ally Meyers anchors the pitching staff with a 2.63 earned run average from the pitcher’s rubber.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Ohio and Penn State square off in softball for the ninth time in program history and first time since the 2024 campaign this weekend in Orlando. PSU leads the series overall by a 5-3 margin and has picked up wins in each of the last four matchups highlighted by an 8-0 run-rule result and a 4-1 regulation win during the Paradise Classic in Boca Raton, Florida, on February 10 and 11, 2024.
Penn State vs. Notre Dame
Record | 8-2 | 0-0 B1G
Record | 7-4 | 0-0 ACC
Introducing Notre Dame
ABOUT THE FIGHTING IRISH
Head coach Kris Ganeff brings the Notre Dame Fighting Irish down to the Sunshine State for the second time in three weeks following an impressive 7-3 opening to the 2026 season. Notre Dame already boasts a national ranked victory on the year, toppling then-No. 23 Liberty by a 5-1 margin at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. Sydney Poeck leads the Fighting Irish with a .448 batting average while Rebecca Eckart paces the squad with three home runs and 10 RBI. Kami Kamzik is off to a solid start in the circle as well, leading the roster with a 1.35 ERA.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State and Notre Dame meet for the seventh time in history on Saturday, with the Fighting Irish boasting a 4-2 record against the Blue & White. PSU took two of the first three games but has dropped each of the last three meetings dating to the 2012 season. The squads met last season in the NFCA Leadoff Classic, with Notre Dame coming away with a 4-2 result on February 9, 2025.
Penn State vs. Charleston Southern
Record | 8-2 | 0-0 B1G
Record | 2-9 | 0-0 Big South
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.
The 2026 Penn State softball season is presented by Highmark.