Penn State softball will host the Maryland Terrapins for a Big Ten Conference weekend series at Nittany Lion Softball Park & Beard Field, with the schedule adjusted on April 2 due to expected inclement weather. The series will now begin with a single game at 2 p.m. on Friday, followed by an 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday. All three games will be streamed live for authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and its app.
The changes are significant as they allow fans and teams to prepare for potential disruptions while maintaining the full slate of conference games. Free general admission seating is available for all home games, but parking must be prepaid online or through the ParkWhiz app to avoid higher day-of fees.
Penn State enters this series after splitting their season matchups against Pittsburgh, losing narrowly in their most recent meeting, but previously sweeping Rutgers in a three-game Big Ten road series. The team has played most of its early-season games away from home and returns to Happy Valley for only its second home weekend of the year.
Individually, junior third baseman Brooke Klosowicz leads Penn State in batting average (.378) and holds the program’s career record (.379). Freshman shortstop Allison Oneacre was recently ranked No. 5 nationally at her position by Softball America after tying Penn State’s freshman single-season home run record with 13 homers and collecting 46 runs batted in.
Maryland arrives under head coach Lauren Karn with a 13-20 overall record (1-11 Big Ten), seeking their first conference series win this season. Key players include Sammi Woods (.392 average), Mariah Penta (.378 average), Anna McGowan (eight home runs, team-high 28 RBI), and pitcher Keira Bucher (2.92 ERA).
The upcoming contests mark meetings number 45 through 47 between Penn State and Maryland since their first matchup in 1999; Penn State leads the all-time series, having won seven of the last ten encounters.
