Nittany Lions Travel to Rocky Top for Tennessee Invitational

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Penn State softball gets set for its fourth consecutive week on the road this Friday through Sunday, February 27 through March 1, as the Nittany Lions visit Sherri Parker Lee Stadium for the Tennessee Invitational.

Action begins on Friday with a 12:30 p.m. (ET) matchup against the N.C. Central Eagles, followed by a 5:30 p.m. (ET) start against the top-ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteers. Saturday gets underway with a 12:30 p.m. (ET) battle against the Appalachian State Mountaineers, followed by a rematch with the No. 1 Lady Vols at 3 p.m. Play concludes on Sunday at 10 a.m. (ET) with a battle against the Eagles to close out the five-game, three-day event. Both of Penn State’s games against Tennessee will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via SEC Network+ and the ESPN app, with live updates for games against NCCU and App State available through the Penn State Softball social media channels.

QUICK HITS

The Nittany Lions return to work fresh off a dominant five-game sweep of their opponents at the SpaceU Classic, downing host-UCF in a 6-5 battle, in addition to dominant showings against Notre Dame, Ohio and Charleston Southern. PSU notched two wins via the run rule, highlighted by back-to-back 10-plus-run victories over the Bobcats and Fighting Irish. Penn State outscored its challengers by a 53-11 margin over the three-day tournament. Freshman infielder Allison Oneacre made program history this week, becoming the first Nittany Lion to collect consecutive Big Ten Conference weekly honors since PSU joined the league in 1992. Oneacre secured her second-straight Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolade after leading Penn State offensively with 11 RBI and a 1.358 OPS throughout the SpaceU Classic in Orlando. Through the early going in the 2026 campaign, Penn State boasts one of the strongest pitching staffs in all of college softball. PSU owns the best ERA in the Big Ten Conference and 16th-best nationally with a 2.10 mark while logging the strongest WHIP and the 14th-best measure in that statistic across Division I, surrendering just 1.11 walks and hits per innings pitched through the first 15 games of the year.

CIRCULAR REASONING

Penn State’s pitching staff has been a highlight for the Nittany Lions in the first two weeks of the year, with a five-member rotation combining to throw 100.0 total frames. No Nittany Lion pitcher boasts more than 25.0 innings, or fewer than 17.2 total innings pitched through the first 15 games of the 2026 season. From a statistical perspective, freshman left-handed pitcher Brevyn Kellepouris leads the Nittany Lions in terms of earned run average with a 0.71 mark in the category, while freshman right-hander Mackenzie Duncan paces the team in strikeouts with 28 through 19.1 innings of work. All five PSU pitchers that have thrown in 2026 boast at least two victories in the circle, with Duncan sitting tied with sophomore Abigail Britton and junior Bridget Nemeth for the team lead with three. Britton also boasts the only save by a Penn State pitcher through this point in the season. As a staff, Penn State’s pitchers boast the best team ERA in the Big Ten Conference and 16th-best mark in Division I with a 2.10 measure in that statistic. PSU also leads the Big Ten and stands 14th nationally in WHIP with a 1.11 mark in that category.