Jen Acunto doesn't consider herself a power hitter.

"I don't know how to characterize myself, I'm not into that," she said.

But just because she won't admit it, doesn't mean her teammates are unaware of what she does best.

"She hits the ball hard," Penn State outfielder Leigh Murray quickly interjected.

Yes, she certainly does. She hits the ball really hard.

And if there were any questions about the freshman slugger's ability, she answered them with one mighty swing of the bat Wednesday afternoon, smacking one out of the park for a grand slam against the visiting Kent State Golden Flashes.

It's that presence at the plate that has helped the Penn State softball team (22-13, 2-2 Big Ten) taste success this season -- and what the Nittany Lions hope will carry them through their first Big Ten sweep of the season, against Michigan State (11-19-1, 2-2), this weekend. The Lions will face off against the Spartans in a doubleheader starting at noon Sunday at Michigan State's Old College Field.

"Our whole lineup has been amazing, up and down the order," Murray said. "If we can just get runners on base and keep hitting them in when we have them, we'll do well, and we'll look to take two at Michigan State."

Even with all of Acunto's accolades after hitting her team-leading fifth home run of the season, it's another freshman that is at the top of the stat sheet. Pitcher Ashley Esparza leads the team with a batting average of .447.

And the Lions have reason to be optimistic heading into Sunday's contests-- as a team, the Spartans allow an average of three runs a game, nearly double what Penn State allows on the mound.

Michigan State has had a rough start to its season, losing 12 of its first 15 games. But the Spartans have been playing better as of late, winning their first two games of conference play against Indiana before dropping a doubleheader to Purdue.

The Lions will once again be shorthanded against the Spartans, as freshman second baseman Rebecca Bautista, who missed Wednesday's doubleheader, will be out of the lineup for six weeks due to a broken clavicle.

While the team has leaned on its stellar freshman class at times, Murray believes the entire team has contributed as of late -- and that should bode well for the near future, even with Bautista out of the lineup.

"[The freshmen] have come in and they've definitely produced and filled their shoes," Murray said. "But our entire lineup has been producing. ... people keep coming through when they need to."