March 20, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
The Fighting Illini are entering the series 14-7 and are currently tied for fourth in the Big Ten. Top batters for Illinois are Danielle Zymkowitz with a .443 average and Hollie Pinchback checking in at .421. Pinchback has accounted for nine doubles and 14 RBI. Hope Howell also has a strong bat with a .324 average while adding six doubles, a triple and two home runs for 17 RBI. Monica Perry leads the way in the circle with a 10-5 record and a 3.62 ERA. In 98.2 innings she has struck out 104 batters.

The Illini have picked up notable wins against then-No. 18 Houston and No. 19 Texas A&M defeating the Cougars 12-11 and the Aggies 5-4. Both wins came from the Marriott Houston Invitational Feb. 20-22. Lana Armstrong was named the Big Ten Player of the week for her efforts at the Invitational while Zymkowitz picked up player of the week honors after opening weekend.

This weekend will hold the 21st and 22nd meetings between the Nittany Lions an the Fighting Illini. The series is tied at 10 each.

SCOUTING PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions will open Big Ten play with a 9-11 record after going 4-6 through the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic and the Judi Garman Classic. Freshman catcher Danee Collett (Orange, Calif.) leads Penn State with a .300 batting average while contributing three doubles. Not far behind are senior first baseman Danielle Kinley (Carlsbad, Calif.) at .295 with four doubles, a triple and nine RBI and freshman utility Lisa Akamine (Escondido, Calif.) at .294 with three doubles and a home run. Senior center fielder Sam Hovanec (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and sophomore shortstop Desi Giordano (West Caldwell, N.J.) have also proven to be significant threats in the batter's box as Hovanec has three home runs and 13 RBI with a .519 slugging percentage while Giordano accounts for four home runs and 11 RBI.

In the circle, junior Jackie Hill (San Jose, Calif.) has built on her success from the 2008 campaign and currently holds a 5-5 record after facing some of the top teams in the country. With and ERA of 1.09, she has struck out 61 batters in 64.1 innings of work. Akamine has also proven to be effective holding an ERA below 1.00 at the beginning of the season, but since then the Lions have given up multiple runs to top programs as her ERA currently stands at 4.90.

Penn State has notable wins against then-No. 13 DePaul, 4-1, and then-No. 12 Arizona, 9-6. The win over the Blue Demons came at the NFCA Leadoff Classic as the Nittany Lions rallied in the sixth to plate four and never looked back. Hill threw a one-hitter in the victory. More recently, the Lions upended the Wildcats at the Judi Garman Classic with an explosive first inning as they drove in four runs with the help of a three run blast by Hovanec. Arizona threatened as the Wildcats brough the score to 4-5 in the fifth, but Penn State mimicked the success of the first inning in the sixth with four more runs as Giordano added a three-run shot of her own.

PENN STATE IN BIG TEN OPENERS
The Nittany Lions are 17-28 in Big Ten openers since 1992, but are 5-5 in the last five years. Penn State has seen better luck at home with a 9-3 record in season openers while only accounting eighth wins on the road for 25 losses.

This weekend will be the first time Penn State has opened the Big Ten at Illinois. In Champaign, the Nittany Lions are 2-4 under head coach Robin Petrini with the last victory in April of 2003 as Penn State claimed the night cap at Eichelberger Field.

LAST TIME AGAINST ILLINOIS
If there were any doubts about the unpredictability of softball, they were cast away with last year's Penn State vs. Illinois series. The Illini won the game on April 4 by a score of 11-1 in six innings, but Penn State turned it around for a 13-0 shutout victory on April 5 at Nittany Lion Field. Illinois was riding an 11-0 lead through the sixth inning on the fourth with the help of Lana Armstrong who ended up going 2-for-2 with a double and a grand slam for six RBI. Danielle Kinley eliminated the shutout by scoring Penn State's only run on a passed ball in the sixth before Illinois claimed the convincing victory.

Things turned around quickly though as the Lions' bats exploded in the second game. Kayce Zielinski and Desi Giordano combined for nine RBI. The Nittany Lions also launched five home runs across four batters giving the Illini battery little to work with, while Ashley Esparza became the eighth pitcher in Penn State history to throw a no-hitter.