Penn State Softball vs. Wisconsin Preview
One last time.
Penn State will take on Wisconsin in its final home series of the season at Beard Field this weekend.
The two teams are nearly mirror images of each other with solid pitching staffs and underperforming lineups. Wisconsin sits in fifth place and just above Penn State in the Big Ten standings.
Additionally, both of these programs have seen turnarounds after both finished with sub-.500 records last season. The Nittany Lions finished 7-34 last season, while Wisconsin finished 18-22. Penn State has clinched its first winning season since 2016.
The blue and white are led by Bailey Parshall. The senior ace has pitched to an 18-6 record with an ERA of 1.70 and a WHIP of .80 to go along with 174 strikeouts in 168.2 innings of work
Parshall has rubbed off on the entire pitching staff, which has posted a combined ERA of 2.88 and WHIP of 1.08. While much of the credit can be given to Parshall, the efforts of Kylee Lingenfelter, Vanessa Oatley and Lydia Spalding cannot be overlooked.
While those three have been up and down, they have made key contributions during this revival for Penn State.
As for the lineup that this staff will look to shut down, there is work to be done.
The Wisconsin lineup lacks power as they sit at second to last in the Big Ten with 22 home runs, which hinders their ability to score runs as they sit near the bottom of the Big Ten in runs scored as well with 194.
Much of their production comes off the bat of Kayla Konwent. The senior from Wisconsin has a knack for getting on base, batting .430 with 8 home runs and 25 RBI. Her 33 walks rank ninth in the nation.
Konwent is helped by the efforts of Ally Miklesh and Fiona Girardot. Miklesh is hitting .383 with 20 RBI as Giradot adds a .317 average and 18 RBI. Outside of these three, there is a steep drop off in the production of the rest of the lineup.
If this sounds like a familiar story, it is. The Penn State lineup is in the same boat, but adds more power.
Cassie Lindmark leads off and leads the team in hitting. Lindmark is hitting .418 with seven home runs, 33 RBI and 14 doubles. Her on-base percentage is up to .533 as she adds 16 walks and 18 hit-by-pitches, all while striking out a mere 13 times.
Following her in the lineup is the big power threat for the Nittany Lions. Ally Kurland paces the team with 16 home runs and 41 RBI to go along with a .325 batting average.
Lexie Black adds eight home runs, but the rest of the lineup’s production has been lackluster. Outside of a six-RBI performance from Lilia Crouthamel against Rutgers last weekend, the bottom of the lineup has been blanketed.
The lineup will look to get back on track, but it will not come easy.
Led by Maddie Schwartz, the Badgers have a combined ERA of 2.85. Schwartz has led the rotation with a 20-5 record and 2.37 ERA in 141.2 innings pitched.
Outside of her, Wisconsin does not have another innings to eat. The second most innings pitched belongs to Ava Justman with 62.1. Justman has pitched to a 4-6 record and a 3.93 ERA.
Tessa Magnanimo has a 2.56 ERA, but has gotten the short side in terms of innings pitched with 38.1.
Three low scoring affairs could be on tap this weekend in Happy Valley. It could come down to which struggling lineup can string a few hits together late.
The first pitch of the series is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, April 29, with afternoon starts to follow on Saturday and Sunday.
Justin Ciavolella is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jtc5751@psu.edu.
