As the mood in Happy Valley shifts from enjoying the spring weather to gearing up for serious finals week studies, the Lions' softball team is gearing up for a final run.
Starting today with a four-game set at Michigan, Penn State embarks on a 10-game conference swing that includes Ohio State and Indiana. The Lions are confident that after their doubleheader sweep of Akron on Wednesday, they can be competitive in the remainder of their Big Ten season.
"I think it was getting the winning feeling back again," freshman pitcher Heidi Hanna said after the wins over Akron, which ended a five-game skid for Penn State. "I know a lot of players really got a lot of confidence today."
The Michigan matchup is an intriguing one for the Lions not only because it's a conference showdown, but also because the two teams have met before this season. When Penn State (13-25, 3-15 in the Big Ten) went to Florida for spring break, the Wolverines (27-9, 9-3) pounded the Lions, 10-0. Coach Sue Rankin said that although Michigan is going to be just as tough as last time, she expects her team to be competitive.
"Michigan's a tough team," Rankin said. "They've got good hitters, solid pitching and good defense. But we'll play tough with any team we go against. They'll be looking to take four from us, but we're going to go out there and give them a hard time."
One of the things that might keep the Lions tough for the remainder of the year is the same thing that's kept them competitive all season --contributions from their younger players. Three first-year players --freshmen Kelley Sax in right and Val Serpico at short, and sophomore Nicole Zozzaro at second -- have seen regular starting time in Sue Rankin's lineup this season, and it's another freshman, Hanna, who owns the best ERA on the squad.
Among the non-starting freshmen, utility infielder Jill Cowen currently leads the team at the plate with a .295 average, a stat that shoots up to .368 in conference games, and Bobbi Jo Davidson has scored four runs in pinch-running appearances.
Notes:
-- While the impact of the first year players is not to be overlooked, the end of a season also means recognizing the outgoing seniors. Four Lion starters will see their last action in Penn State uniforms over the next two weeks: Catcher and co-captain Marie Hawkins, pitcher/outfielder and co-captain Dawn Hoover, third baseman Ellie Traino and centerfielder Denise Oswald. While the Lions' crop of youngsters is good news for Rankin and Co., the talent and leadership of these four soon-to-be graduates will be sorely missed.
