At the beginning of preseason competition, the Penn State softball team had a solid pitching staff. Led by junior veterans Jenn Reynolds and Ashley Esparza, and a pleasant surprise in freshman Jackie Hill, the staff looked to be in top shape.

It didn't take long for that to change.

Going into their second tournament in Palm Springs, Calif., the Nittany Lions (7-7) were told to have Esparza on limited innings after she reported a pain in her biceps.

While competing in that same tournament, the pitching staff took another hit. While at bat, Hill took a pitch to her right hand after posting a 1.70 ERA in four appearances. The freshman phenom is still out indefinitely with a broken hand.

That left Reynolds.

Palm Springs wasn't the best showing for the only healthy pitcher, as she recorded two losses and gave up 26 runs -- 10 of which were unearned -- in about 12 innings of work. The defense also committed 14 errors behind her.

"I really wasn't that worried for her out in California," Penn State coach Robin Petrini said. "Our defense didn't play well behind her, and Jenn Reynolds is the kind of pitcher that's going to give you a lot of ground balls. So your defense has to play well, and we made some mistakes. When you get in a hole, it's kind of tough."

In last weekend's tournament, Reynolds proved to everybody that she is more than capable of carrying extra responsibility while other pitchers are recovering. Esparza's health is nearing 100 percent, but the spotlight was on Reynolds last weekend as everyone looked to her for reliability.

The only Lion to garner first-team Big Ten honors last year, Reynolds picked up a decision in each of Penn State's five games at the Miken Classic, going 4-1 over the weekend with a 0.61 ERA and only surrendering three runs. She threw two complete games, one being a one-hitter.

She also helped her own cause at the plate, batting .600 during the five games while driving in seven RBI collectively.

"It was nice to see her dominate," Petrini said. "She threw a one-hitter against [Florida Atlantic], and I was proud to see that for her and happy for her."

Even though the pitching staff is stabilized for the most part, Reynolds will still be looked at to pilot with Esparza, just like the original plan for the season.

"JR is stepping up and showing what she can do," sophomore third baseman Kayce Zielinski said. "She definitely bounced back from the weekend [before] to show that she can get over whatever gets in her way. She's strong enough to get through it."