Posted on March 25, 2024 | Article by Jeremy Rose | Photo by Maddie Bader
A three-game series against Indiana to open up Big Ten play for the Nittany Lions was nothing less than a success. Three straight wins extended Penn State Softball’s winning streak to eight, and while there were plenty of bright spots, its report card season and it might not be all A’s for the squad.
Here’s how the offense, defense, pitching and head coach Clarisa Crowell performed.
Offense: A
Penn State’s offense outscored the Hoosiers 15-6 on the weekend thanks in large part to Maddie Gordon and Gaby Garcia’s five and four RBI weekends, respectively.
Top to bottom, the Nittany Lions offense shined, with Kaitlyn Morrison and Emily Maddock at the helm, Garcia and Gordon in the middle plus timely hitting from the bottom, including Michela Barbanente’s first collegiate home run on Sunday.
Facing Brianna Copeland, the flamethrowing Indiana ace, for 12 ⅓ of the 18 innings played this weekend, the offense shined and will carry hot bats into tomorrow’s game against Bucknell.
Defense: A+
Three names: Michela Barbanente, Liana Jones and Haylie Brunson
This trifecta in the outfield for coach Crowell’s squad is nothing short of amazing to watch. All weekend long, they made plays on defense.
“They made a couple plays they shouldn’t have either,” Crowell said.
Diving catches and basket catches by Barbanente and Jones along with the strong arm of Brunson that held multiple potential runs at third, the outfield paced the weekend and allowed Bridget Nemeth to succeed all weekend long.
Pitching: B+
Bridget Nemeth was spectacular all weekend long. Her 16 innings all weekend were workhorse-esque as she made the highly-touted Indiana lineup look outmatched game after game after game.
But, the lack of trust in Mady Volpe’s arm is enough to raise concern and lower their grade. Volpe started this season as the ace of the rotation, seeing the majority of starts before the Nittany Lions found their way home to Beard Field.
Since their homecoming, Volpe has been lackluster at best, and can’t seem to find her rhythm once she steps inside the circle.
She threw only two full innings this weekend, giving up two runs on three hits with four walks and only one strikeout. She also loaded up the bases in the second inning of Saturday’s game before being replaced by Nemeth who got them out of the jam.
With no Nemeth in this rotation, there would be problems and questions to be answered before Big Ten play continues next weekend.
Coaching: A+
Three hundred-plus wins means the vibes are high. “Coach C” as the team calls her, has led this team to a great start with more wins on the way.
Jeremy Rose is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jmr8177@psu.edu.
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