Spring is in the air, even though the softball team won’t be playing a home game for another week. However, the ladies will enjoy a beautiful new softball diamond when they return, because the Nittany Lion Softball Park is scheduled to be ready for the softball team’s home opening doubleheader against Buffalo on March 24. Until that day, the ladies will try to add to an already winning record on the road.

The first month of play is an interesting one, where the team participates in mostly weekend events in warmer regions of the country. The first two events were the FAU Kickoff-Classic in Florida and the Carolina Classic in North Carolina. The team finished the two events with a record of 4-5, getting two shutout wins but scoring zero runs in five losses.

Entering spring break with a losing record, the Lions were looking to turn things around with a successful set of games in Georgia and Alabama. They did just that, taking four out of five games in the Buzz Classic and three out of four games in the Springhill Suites Buckhead Classic. In between the Classics was the Auburn Round Robin, although the first two games were cancelled due to rain and the team fell to top-ranked Georgia in the third game.

The softball team now sits at a record of 11-8 as they prepare for their last event before the home opener. Located in California, the Judi Garman Classic begins on Thursday and the ladies will compete against five west coast teams including Arizona State and Oklahoma.

Current bright spots on the team include sophomore Cassidy Bell and senior Mary Ostman. Bell leads the team in at bats (58) and runs batted in (9) , and she is near the top of the list in batting average (.293) and on base percentage (.349). Ostman is tied for the team lead in batting average (.333) and is third on the team in hits (11).

Look for an update next week from this week’s round of  games, and get ready to cheer on the team in their new stadium next Thursday.

Also, feel free to show the ladies some love via Twitter – @PSULionSoftball