It’s officially softball season, folks!

Penn State softball is back and ready to pick up where it left off last spring. A large number of returning players should make the Nittany Lions’ roster look pretty familiar.

However, there is a new leader in charge. Head coach Clarisa Crowell is in her first year leading the Nittany Lions. With all of the pieces that made the team competitive last spring, the team will need Crowell to be the missing piece to make it a force in the Big Ten.

Projected Opening Day Lineup

While Crowell has not announced who will start this season, that doesn’t stop us from making educated guesses.

One of which is that Bailey Parshall will be the Opening Day pitcher. She was far and away the best Nittany Lion on the mound in 2020 and has shown constant improvement over the past two seasons. She will be a dominant force for the Nittany Lions this season.

On the diamond, it is reasonable to project KT Rex to start at catcher, Amanda Mack at first base, LA Matthews at second base, Kaitlyn Morrison at shortstop, and Michelle Leone to round the infield out at third base.

Rex was able to get some game experience behind the plate last season. However, if Kennedy Legg transitions into more of a designated hitter role, expect to see Rex get the bulk of the playing time.

Matthews, Morrison, and Leone started last season, and each showed that they had a lot of potential. Starting as freshmen in Division I softball is not an easy task, and they can only improve going into their respective sophomore seasons.

Mack is the only freshman starting in our projected lineup. There is a void at first base left by Destiny Weber, so if she gets the opportunity to fill that hole, Mack could be a big asset.

Starting our projected outfield is Dani Fey in left field, Melina Livingston in center field, and Chelsea Bisi in right field. All three were Opening Day starters last year, but Bisi suffered an early-season injury and was sidelined for the rest of the year. If Bisi bounces back, she could provide a much-needed power spark to the lineup.

Pitchers

Aside from Parshall, the Nittany Lions have some really good pitchers that could help them down the stretch. Kylee Lingenfelter is a very strong number two, and she will be a very reliable pitcher to use in high-leverage situations when Parshall is unavailable.

Vanessa Oatley is another sophomore option who had a heavy load placed upon her shoulders last season. She was used a lot but was very inconsistent. If she can become more reliable, Oatley will make the Nittany Lions a much better team.

Logan Black is the other pitcher on the roster. The transfer from Creighton got very little playing time last season, and that will need to change if Penn State wants to compete. The lack of pitching depth is very concerning, to say the least.

Position Players

There are a lot of returning players that can make an immediate impact off the bench. Maggie Finnegan led the team with a .306 batting average, and she will be a huge asset moving into the season.

Ally Kurland will also provide a big impact as a catcher off of the bench, while Claire Swedberg will have an important role as well.

There are also five freshmen who could get some meaningful playing time. The good thing for them is that they don’t have to be rushed into the starting lineup. They can take time to work their way in and focus on development.

Prediction: 20-24

Despite going 11-15 before the 2020 season was canceled, Penn State was not a bad team. If the Nittany Lions continue to make improvements in areas such as pitching and power hitting, they can be a team to reckon with.

The problem is that there is uncertainty about what Crowell brings to the table. The team could get hot and go on a winning streak and earn a winning record, or it could go on drought and finish with fewer than 10 wins. Anything is possible.

There is enough talent to keep improving and getting better, but it might not be enough to be competitive at the top of the conference just yet. We think they’ll go 20-24, which isn’t amazing, but it’s definitely a good start for a first-year coach.