Nittany Lions Host Saint Francis in Final Non-Conference Game
Penn State welcomes SFU to Happy Valley for the final time as NCAA Division I opponents
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State softball prepares for its final non-conference midweek matchup of the 2026 campaign, as the Nittany Lions welcome the Saint Francis Red Flash to Nittany Lion Softball Park & Beard Field for the final meeting of the two programs as NCAA Division I opponents this Tuesday, April 21. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. (ET), with streaming available to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app.
PARKING & ADMISSION
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 2026 Penn State softball season is now available online or via the ParkWhiz 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 HONK 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 in-state midweek matchup against the Saint Francis Red Flash will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app on connected devices. Links to view Penn State’s contest against Saint Francis live, or watch 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 the game 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 back-and-forth Big Ten Conference road series against the Ohio State Buckeyes from Columbus. Penn State dropped the first and third games of the three-game set, but dominated in the middle fixture to the tune of a 15-7 win in six innings of play. The result marked the second season in a row in which PSU recorded a run-rule victory over their rivals to the west. Freshman infielder Allison Oneacre cemented her place in PSU history on Saturday, standing alone atop the Penn State single-season RBI leaderboard by reaching her 55th RBI of the season on a two-run go-ahead blast in the top of the sixth. Oneacre passed junior teammate Brooke Klosowicz’ prior record of 53, set a season ago during Penn State’s historic offensive season in 2025. The rookie sensation became the first player in Penn State program history to muster three multiple-home run outings in a single season and now stands tied for the second-most home runs hit in a single season alongside program alumnae Ally Kurland and Jennifer Tripken. Oneacre needs just four home runs to tie, and five to surpass the Penn State single-season record of 20 set by First Team NFCA All-American Cassidy Bell in 2013. Penn State’s offense has been a major point of success for sixth-year head coach Clarisa Crowell, with the Nittany Lions boasting the fourth-highest ranked scoring offense in the Big Ten Conference and 26th-best offense nationally. PSU sits as the No. 2 team nationally in walks drawn with 241, trailing only fellow Big Ten member UCLA’s total of 247.
Saint Francis at Penn State
Record | 4-36-1 | 3-14 NEC
Record | 28-17 | 8-10 B1G
Introducing Saint Francis
ABOUT THE RED FLASH
Under the direction of head coach Bill Vasko, the Saint Francis Red Flash enter Tuesday’s midweek while navigating a challenging 2026 campaign. The Red Flash hold a 4-36-1 overall record, including a 3-14 mark in NEC play. Despite the difficult results, the team has continued to compete offensively, producing 165 runs and 36 home runs while working to close the gap against opponents who have posted a significant run differential advantage. Offensively, Sofia Zielinski has been the centerpiece of the lineup, hitting an impressive .462 with 10 home runs and 34 RBI while posting an .821 slugging percentage. She is joined by Morgan Pasternak, who has driven in a team-high 37 RBI with nine home runs and a .312 average, and Aliya Garroway, who has been a consistent presence at the top of the order with a .343 average and a team-best .523 on-base percentage. Marianne Labelle (.320) and Olivia Hood (.287, 18 RBI) have also provided steady production, while Annabelle Farmer has added power with seven home runs and 15 RBI. In the circle, Saint Francis has worked through a difficult season, posting a collective 8.63 ERA across 245 innings pitched. Ella Zoss leads the staff with a 2-10 record and 6.69 ERA over 68 innings, while Zoe Kesterson has logged a team-high 84 innings with a 2-10 record. Olivia Kolowitz has made 23 appearances, adding 56.2 innings.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State and Saint Francis gear up for their 50th and final all-time meeting as Division I opponents since 1990 on Tuesday night in Happy Valley, with the Blue & White boasting a commanding 40-9 overall lead in the series that began with a 27-game PSU win streak from 1990 to 2009. Tuesday’s matchup will take mark the final opportunity for the two programs to meet as Division I challengers. Toward the end of the 2025-26 academic year, SFU announced plans to reclassify to an NCAA Division III institution beginning in the 2026-27 academic year, which will 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 5-0 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 in a single midweek matchup from Nittany Lion Softball Park & Beard Field, with the Nittany Lions picking up a dominant 15-3 decision in five innings of play and 90 minutes of real time. The Blue & White saw four student-athletes book multiple-hit performances, highlighted by a career-best pair of home runs hit off the bat of then-junior catcher Madison Seidel, who tallied six RBI in the game.
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.