Halfway through its 2026 campaign, Penn State had its first home series last weekend at Nittany Lion Softball Park at Beard Field. The team battled against Wisconsin during a three-game series.
Over the weekend, Penn State had mixed results, losing the home opener after back-and-forth action, 6-5, then dominating Saturday morning, outscoring Wisconsin with a final score of 14-8. But for the series finale, the Nittany Lions fell 7-4.
Having only one win in Big Ten play, the blue and white have collected five of its eleven losses this season from conference opponents.
Here is what went well and what went wrong for Penn State during its home-opening weekend.
Late-inning challenges in circle
Within the last six weeks, the blue and white’s pitching staff’s depth and their performance in the circle has been its defining characteristic. For the first game at Beard Field of the 2026 season, four Nittany Lions stepped into the circle on Friday.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Mackenzie Duncan earned her fourth collegiate start, followed by junior right-hander McKenna Young, who dominated in the circle as the first reliever. Young pitched for 2.0 innings and struck out three Badgers in her first appearance at home, allowing one earned run, after transferring to Penn State during the offseason.
Pitcher Mackenzie Duncan (30) winds up to throw a pitch during the Penn State softball game against Wisconsin at Beard Field on Friday, March 20, 2026 in University Park, Pa. The Badgers beat the Nittany Lions 6-5.Â
Celia Lewis
Left-hander Brevyn Kellepouris threw for 2.1 frames, but sophomore right-handed pitcher Abigail Britton entered for the final inning, getting the short end of the stick by taking home her third loss of the season.
Penn State played an error-free game for the 13th time this season.
For Saturday’s duel, the offense stole the spotlight. Yet softball isn’t all about the batter’s box, but also the circle.
Bridget Nemeth got the start, making her return to the circle at Beard Field for the first time since 2024. The 6-foot-1 star tallied 3.1 innings, surrendering zero walks, five hits with just three earned runs, while successfully striking out four Badgers.
Avenging her final inning against Wisconsin in the first meeting, Britton got the start for the team’s final game of the weekend. She threw for 4.1 innings, scattering four hits with two earned runs allowed, while adding five strikeouts to her resume.
Nemeth returned to the circle for Sunday’s showdown. She recorded her worst performance of the season, pitching for 1.2 innings, allowing three hits and four runs.
The blue and white lacked consistency throughout the last stretch of its matchups against the Badgers.
Lineup changes deliver successful at-bats
Coach Clarisa Crowell changed up the Nittany Lion lineup for the home opening weekend, creating offensive momentum.
She gave junior designated player Jordan George her first start of the 2026 campaign for Saturday’s match. She appeared as a starter for the blue and white’s batting order just for the second time since transferring to Penn State before the 2025 season.
The New Albany, Ohio, native went 3-for-3 at the plate, which included individual career bests in hits with two home runs and five RBI’s.
Freshmen have been a big part of Penn State’s season so far, and outfielder Breanna Hanik added to the contribution. Hanik and George powered through the middle of the weekend series, adding to the blue and white’s record book after its dominating 14-8 win against Wisconsin.
Penn State’s pair of power hitters became the first pair of teammates to record multiple home run outings. Hanik also finished the day going 3-for-3, with three RBI and four runs scored. The Oak Lawn, Illinois, native also marked her career bests with three hits and two homers. She recorded the 24th multi-homer outing in Nittany Lion history shortly after George completed the 23rd.
This performance from the blue and white’s offense was a must after lacking in the batter’s box in its West Coast series against then-No. 21 Oregon.
Outfielder Frankee Flesher throws during the softball game against Wisconsin at Beard Field at Nittany Lion Softball Park on Saturday, March 21, 2026, in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions defeated the Badgers 14-8.
Lucas Yendrzeiwski
Junior Frankee Flesher, who retired from soccer and joined the softball program in the offseason, got her first real chance, making five appearances at the plate over the weekend.
Junior third baseman Brooke Klosowicz was another Nittany Lion successful at the plate over the course of the weekend. She finished the home opener going 3-for-4 with a run scored and one RBI. She hit her first triple of the season, finishing the day 1-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs in Sunday’s game.
Friday and Sunday’s games showed sparks from the offense, which were quickly killed by the Badgers’ defense, but that’s all that the blue and white left with. Pitching problems and a lack of concrete play resulted in the losses.
With success in at-bats, if Penn State figures out consistency, it could have more control in the result of the games as conference play continues.
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