Series Preview: Penn State Softball vs. Iowa
On Friday, March 24 the Penn State softball team is set to start conference play against Big Ten opponents starting with the Iowa Hawkeyes in Happy Valley at Beard Field.
This will be the fifth game of a current eight game home stand for the Nittany Lions who currently stand at 18-4. The Nittany Lions are also 9-1 in their last 10 games.
The Iowa Hawkeyes are currently 18-11 and 7-3 in their last 10.
Penn State is coming off of a 1-0 victory over in-state rivals, the Pittsburgh Panthers. Two Nittany Lions that have been hot on offense as of late are Lexie Black and Kaitlyn Morrison.
Black currently has 24 hits, 19 RBIs, three home runs and 12 bases on balls on the season. The 5-foot-9 from Omaha, Nebraska is posting a .375 batting average on the season and has only struck out five times in 64 at bats.
Morrison has 27 hits, 20 RBIs, four home runs and five bases on balls. Morrison is also contributing to the Nittany Lions' success with a .403 batting average and only six strikeouts in 67 at bats.
Penn State ace Bailey Parshall has been absolutely lights out all season long with an ERA of 1.24. In 80 innings pitched, Parshall has thrown 95 strikeouts this year and just nine bases on balls. The super senior has not given up a run in her last two appearances and holds a record of 11-3.
Junior Melody Coombs also has 15 stolen bases for the blue and white, so Iowa will have to watch out for her speed.
For the Hawkeyes, Nia Carter is going to be a huge threat on Friday. The Iowa senior has a .485 batting average and has only struck out three times in 101 at bats this year. Carter has 49 hits with eight RBIs and 12 bases on balls.
The best pitcher for the black and gold so far this year has been fifth-year righty Breanna Vasquez. The UCF transfer is posting a 1.42 ERA in 69 innings pitched. Vasquez has 74 strikeouts this season with 22 bases on balls. She also holds a season record of 9-2.
The first pitch is set for 5 p.m. and all the fans in attendance will be awaiting either a pitcher's duel or a high scoring affair with these two extremely high-powered offenses. This will be both teams’ first Big Ten game of the season.
These two squads have not seen each other in the regular season since March 12, 2021 where Iowa was victorious by a score of 2-0.
This three game series to start in conference play is set to be a fantastic matchup between two teams looking to make a statement early to the rest of the Big Ten.
Chris Machado is a junior studying broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email cvm6238@psu.edu.
