Even though Penn State coach Robin Petrini would never allow anyone to believe it, her 300th win is an important milestone for Penn State softball.
At the conclusion of the Nittany Lions 8-0 rout of in-state opponent Bucknell, fans stormed the dugout holding cardboard cutouts of the coach. Each cutout had the similar feature of Petrini's determined face, thinking about nothing but victory.
Still Petrini refuses to count the wins one by one, instead living for the individual game.
"You can get away from that one," Petrini said laughing. "It's like I've always said, you coach long enough, you're gonna hit milestones."
That may be true, but during Petrini's 10-year tenure with the team, she has compiled a record of 300-245-1, giving her the highest winning percentage of any coach in Penn State softball history. Only Sue Rankin has won more games while coaching for the blue and white with 306. It took her 14 years, however, to finally break the mark and finished with a record under .500, of 306-331.
Petrini would give credit only to the teams that she has fielded throughout the years.
"Milestones in a coaching career are a credit to the kids that have come through your program. It has nothing to do with you," Petrini said. "It's a credit to the kids that have battled and struggled and clawed and done everything they can, and all you did was stand on the sidelines."
Petrini has led six teams to 30 win seasons, a feat that had not been accomplished since 1988 before her arrival in 1997. After finishing off Bucknell, the Lions record now stands at 23-11, well on their way to another 30 win season.
Petrini came to Penn State after eight years as an assistant coach at Northwestern. She was touted as a great coach and an even better recruiter. She has proven that she's still capable of bringing talent from out of state as 19 of the 24 players on the Penn State roster came from high schools outside of Pennsylvania.
One reason why Petrini has not left Penn State, and also why she is capable of prying players loose from the sunny beaches of California and Virginia, is because of the Penn State atmosphere.
"Penn State is a great place to be and coaches know that," Petrini said. "It's a great athletic department, it's got a great atmosphere and it's got great academics, what more could you ask for from a university setting?"
Almost Perfect
Only two days after being swept by Big Ten rivals Illinois and Northwestern, due in part to uncharacteristic pitching performances by Lions pitchers, Missy Beseres and Ashley Esparza responded in absolute shutdown fashion...almost.
Beseres allowed a single up the middle to lead off the first before retiring 21 consecutive batters, nine by strike out.
Esparza followed promptly with a two-hitter, and eight strikeouts through five innings before the offense solidified the early ending lead.
Both pitchers shook off any signs of control problems that had been a bane in the weekend games, allowing no walks.
"It's great to get back on track. These mid-week games really help us get our confidence back," Beseres said.
Both Esparza and Beseres said having early leads in the games helped to calm their nerves and enable them to pitch more creatively.
For Beseres, who doesn't get to take offensive hacks to help her own cause as Esparaza does, the offensive help was especially refreshing.
"This last game was nice, especially with 12 hits," Beseres said. "I think we're officially out of the slump."
Pitching coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly said she never worries about her pitchers "crumbling under pressure."
"All three of these girls have competed at the highest level there has been," Kovach Schoenly said. "It's not always going to turn out the way they want, but it's not because they can't handle the pressure.
"Those three girls, they're tough as nails. They'll bounce back. They know how to handle this stuff."
