The 2002 Penn State softball season is underway, and that can mean only one thing — it's time for some tournaments.

The Nittany Lions will take part in the seventh annual NFCA Leadoff Classic today in Columbus, Ga., beginning with a noon matchup against No. 9 Washington.

The Lions will return to action at 7:30 tonight to take on Boston University (1-4), and will face No. 16 Fresno State (6-3) tomorrow at noon. The weekend will also include two games of bracket play.

The team finished 2-3 in last weekend's Seminole Classic Tournament, held in Tallahassee, Fla. At times the Lions' hitters struggled at the plate, and the team was out-hit by a combined 23-7 in losses to Maryland, Florida State and Georgia.

Senior outfielder Gina Bianchini, who returns to the Lions' lineup after missing most of last season with a wrist injury, was able to supply some offense last weekend. The Pottstown native had three hits, walked twice and scored four runs in the tournament. Bianchini said she expects the Lions' bats to come alive after a week's worth of practice.

"We came back here, got a few kinks out and worked on our hitting," Bianchini said.

Lions' head coach Robin Petrini said some of her teams' hitting woes last weekend can be attributed to tough pitching by the opposition.

The Lions fell victim to a four-hit shutout by Florida State All-American Leslie Merich on Saturday, and were on the losing end of a one-hitter by Georgia's Michelle Green later that day.

Petrini said that this weekend will not be any easier.

"We're going to face even better pitching this weekend, so I don't know what kind of improvement we'll see," Petrini said. "The competition's a lot stiffer." The Lions' first test will be the Huskies (14-3), who have won the Leadoff Classic twice before and have compiled a 28-6 record in the tournament.

Washington returns to the East Coast again this weekend, after dropping a 6-5 contest to Florida in the finals of the Florida Hotel and Conference Center Invitational last Sunday.

The rest of the teams in this year's tourney are just as tough, as 14 of the 24 squads are ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25, and 18 competed in the postseason last year. Still, Bianchini thinks that the unranked Lions will be pumped up to take on some of the best teams in the country.

"I think it should motivate any team," Bianchini said. "Just the thought should excite you. We have nothing to lose, so there's no fear. We're ready to fight."