Softball hits the road for the first time in B1G play in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS Penn State softball continues Big Ten play and enters conference action for the first time as the Nittany Lions prepare for a three-game series against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium March 31-April 2.

GAME INFORMATION

Penn State at Minnesota | on Friday, March 31 | at 6 p.m. ET |B1G+|Live statistics|Bunting

Penn State at Minnesota | on Saturday, April 1 | at 2 pm ET |B1G+|Live statistics|Bunting

Penn State at Minnesota | on Sunday, April 2 | at 1 p.m. ET |B1G+|Live statistics|Bunting

QUICK PARTS

Penn State moved to 19-6 overall in the 2023 season after splitting a quartet of games last week, defeating Pittsburgh 1-0 in extra innings before winning the first of three games against Iowa 3-2, also in overtime. After last week’s results, the Nittany Lions now rank 10th in strikeouts and walks (4.74), 11th in doubles per game (1.68) and 12th in earned run average (1.76). Additionally, the Blue & White leads the Big Ten in ERA, edging out second-best Wisconsin by 0.23 points.

Young left fielder Liana Jones opened Big Ten play with a bang, launching a game-winning home run to deep left in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Hawkeyes. Jones hit the first home run for Penn State since then-senior Toni Polk beat Saint Francis 8-7 in extra innings on April 3, 2019. Junior Emily Maddock lit up the scoring last week, going a whopping 9-14 (.643 BA) with four RBIs. Kempton, a Pennsylvania native, now leads the team with a .483 average this year.

FAMOUS EXTRA

PSU defeated the in-state rival Pittsburgh Panthers in eight innings on March 21, 1-0, followed by a 3-2 win over Iowa on March 24 in nine innings. Penn State competed in back-to-back extra innings for the first time since a pair of losses to Iowa on March 11 and 12, 2021. The Nittany Lions won back-to-back games in extra innings for the first time since back-to-back wins over Illinois and Minnesota on April 29 and May 4, 2018.

THE PROBLEM OF TWO

Individually, Penn State’s senior first baseman Lexie black ranks first in the Big Ten Conference and third nationally in doubles, taking two bases a total of 13 times this season. Black follows Tennessee’s Mackenzie Donihoo and Bradley’s Grace French, who have both hit 14 doubles. In doubles per game, Black is first in the B1G and paces Division I by 0.52. As a team, the Nittany Lions have played a total of 42 doubles, which ranks seventh in the Big Ten and 55th nationally. However, in doubles per game, PSU is third in the B1G series and 11th in the country with 1.68 points.

THE STUDY OF GOLDEN GOPHERS

Led by third-year head coach Piper Ritter, Minnesota enters the weekend series with a 19-13 overall record despite an 0-3 start last week in Big Ten competition at Northwestern. Less than four years since their 2019 Women’s College World Series appearance, the Golden Gophers have appeared in each of the last nine NCAA Tournaments dating back to 2013. Minnesota is led in the box by Taylor Krapf, who has a combined .367 average with a team-best 10 homers this season. In the circle, Autumn Pease serves as the team leader in ERA at 1.79 while maintaining a personal record of 12-5.

SERIES HISTORY

In the all-time series against the Golden Gophers, Penn State maintains an impressive 40-26 overall record dating back to the first meeting between the two programs in 1989. PSU and Minnesota will meet for the first time since the 2021 campaign with the Goldens. The Gophers would take three of four contests at Beard Field before dropping the series finale to Penn State, 4-1. This weekend’s series will be the first contest between the Minneapolis schools since the 4th-6th. May 2018, when UMN played two out of three games.

FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS

For more information on Penn State softball, visit GoPSUSports.com. Fans can keep up with the Nittany Lion softball team on Facebook at /pennstatesoftball and on Twitter and Instagram @PennStateSB.