PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (19-15, 1-3 BIG TEN)
April 7, vs. Illinois (30-14, 2-2 Big Ten), 6 p.m.
April 8, vs. Illinois, 12 p.m.
Nittany Lion Field (University Park, Pa.)*
*stats as of April 5, 2001


LIONS LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK: Penn State hasn’t lost three games in a row since losing three in a row at the Texas A&M Aggie Invitational at the beginning of the season. The Lions are looking to rebound from a three-game skid, dropping two to Kent State on Wednesday and losing last Sunday against Iowa. Illinois is a second-year program and is in their first season in the Big Ten. The Lions are hoping to take advantage of the Illini’s inexperience and pick up two wins.

HEAD COACH ROBIN PETRINI: Embarking on her fifth season at the helm, head coach Robin Petrini has taken a lower-tiered Nittany Lion softball squad to one of the top teams in the Big Ten. Since taking over the program in 1997, Petrini has upgraded the program, leading the Lions to its first back-to-back 30-win seasons in school history in 1999 and 2000. The 1999 conference Co-Coach of the Year, she has led the Lions from seventh, 10th and seventh place finishes in her first three seasons, to back-to-back third place showings in 1999 and 2000. She also took Penn State to its first NCAA Tournament trip since 1985. Petrini has recorded a 152-147-1 record in five seasons as head coach, and a 133-116-1 record in four years at Penn State. She is only the second coach in school history to win 100 games.

SCOUTING THE ILLINI: In its second year of the program, the Fighting Ilini come into today’s contest with a 30-14 overall record and a 2-2 Big Ten record. Illinois has posted some big wins, defeating ranked opponents Florida State and Wisconsin of the Big Ten. Both were 1-0 wins and limited the opponent to just four hits. The game against the Badgers was not a conference game.

Of the regular starters, the Illini have two players hitting above .300. Lindsey Hamma and Janna Sartini are separated by just .005, as they are hitting .315 and .310 respectively. Hamma leads the team in hits (41) and runs (25), while Sartini has 25 RBI, three home runs and eight doubles, all team highs.

Amanda Fortune and Kathryn Nevard are each leading the Illini in the pitching lineup. Fortune was the winning pitcher against Florida State and has an overall record of 13-7 and boasts a team-high 1.14 earned runs average. Nevard was the winner over Wisconsin and she has pitched the most innings on the team, throwing in 142.1 innings and has a record of 15-7. She also carries an ERA of 1.43. Nevard has six shut out wins, while Fortune has four. As a team, the Illini have a 1.51 ERA and are limiting their opponents to a .204 batting average.

SERIES INFORMATION: This is the first meeting between the teams.

MEET VIRIGNIA: The Nittany Lions went 3-3 at the Who's Hoo Tournament hosted by the University of Virginia. Penn State placed second behind the Cavaliers who went a perfect 6-0. Penn State played doubleheaders on each day of the tournament against Bowling Green, Liberty and UVA. On the first day, the Lions split with the Falcons, 4-3 and 0-4. Senior pitcher Kelly McCann recorded her ninth win of the season, surpassing her win total of eight from last season. Penn State then shutout Liberty 10-0 and 4-0. Game one was shortened to five innings because of the mercy rule, while McCann went on to record her third shutout win of the season, topping her combined career total of two shutouts. Freshman Marisa Hanson then went on the post her first-career shutout victory in game two. UVA went on to claim the tournament championship with 5-2 and 8-7 wins over the Lions. In game two, the Lions too a 7-6 lead in the sixth inning, but the Cavaliers came-from-behind to retake the lead and hang on for the win. Senior Allison Medellin 10-for-18 for a .556 average over the six games. She also posted three RBI and double with two runs scored.

VIVA LAS VEGAS: Penn State had a good weekend at the UNLV Tri-Tournament. The Lions went undefeated, claiming two wins each over Mississippi State and UNLV. On the first day, the Nittany Lions took two games from the Bulldogs, 8-3 and 6-5. In game one, Penn State jumped out to a 4-0 lead to take control of the game early on. The Lions led by as much as 5-1 en route to the win. In game two, PSU tallied runs in four different innings for the eventual win. Mississippi State, however, was not giving up without a fight. MSU cut into Penn State's 6-0 lead, scoring five runs in the final two innings of the game, but the Lions held off the rally for the win.

In that game, senior Karen Gulini stole four bases on four attempts, and claimed six on the day. She went 4-for-4 with three runs scored in game two, while hitting a combined 7-for-9. Freshman pitcher Marisa Hanson claimed her first-collegiate victory in game two against MSU. She went all seven innings and gave up just one earned run.

The second day saw the Lions win two more close games against host UNLV, 1-0 and 5-4. Sophomore Kelley Galigher keyed a three-hit third inning that drove in the game's only run. The second game was a close affair, with the Lions taking a 5-2 lead into the final inning of the game.

Gulini led the Lions to the wins over the weekend. She hit an outstanding .769 (10-for-13). She also stole six total bases on seven attempts. In her first starts of the season, Galigher went 6-for-12 with four RBI and two key doubles.

LIONS OPEN IN AGGIELAND: The Nittany Lions came away with a 2-4 record at the Aggie Invitational last weekend, winning the opening game of the tournament over host Texas A&M, 4-3, and against Texas A&M Corpus Christi on the last day, 5-0. All four of Penn State's losses were close games. Three were one-run games and the other went 10 innings.

On day one, senior pitcher Kelly McCann posted the season's first win, going seven innings to defeat the Aggies, 4-3. In the second game of the day, the Lions went up 2-0 in the third, but four errors gave Texas A&M Corpus Christi the 4-3 win. Both No. 5 Alabama and Penn State scored once in the fifth inning, but a run in the top of the seventh was all the Tide would need to top the Lions, 2-1, on the second day.

Both teams pitched nine-scoreless innings, but the Aggies took advantage of the international tie-breaker rule and scored four runs in the top of the 10th inning to snag the win, 4-1. Freshman pitcher Marisa Hanson went the distance, giving up just two hits in the first nine innings, and four for the game. McCann recorded the team's second win and first shutout of the season with a 5-0 victory over the Islanders to start the third day of action at the Aggie Invite. She allowed just three hits for the game and posted five strikeouts, while Penn State connected on 11 hits.

The Nittany Lions got on the scoreboard first, tallying a run in the first inning for a 1-0 lead over Alabama. However, Bama knotted the score in the third then drove in two runs in the fifth to take the lead. In Penn State's final at bat, PSU battled, scoring a run on freshman Erica Greenberg's line drive down the right field line to bring the Lions to within 3-2. The Lions then loaded the bases up and fought to a full count, but a strikeout by the Tide's pitching staff clinched the victory for UA.

Junior Gina Bianchini was the second-best hitter in the tournament, going 6-for-10 in four games. She also had two stolen bases on three attempts. She was sideline on the last day of action because of an injury.

HOT STREAKS: Senior second baseman Allison Medellin and senior outfielder Karen Gulini both own the team’s longest win streak of the season with 12 games. Both started the Who’s Hoo Tournament with a hit against Bowling Green and continued that streak until the 10-inning loss to Iowa. But the Golden Flashes of Kent State limited the Nittany Lions to just two hits in five innings and Medellin and Gulini did not record one of the two hits.

INJURY REPORT: Junior OF Gina Bianchini was hit in the wrist in the 10-inning thriller against Texas A&M at the Aggie Invitational. The hit broke a bone in her arm and the Pottsville, Pa., native will sit the bench for several weeks. Bianchini led the team with a .600 batting average in four games that weekend. She also scored three times and had two stolen bases in three attempts.

10 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: The Nittany Lions won nine-straight game when knocking out 10 or more hits. But that streak has since been broken, losing in the Big Ten opener, 8-7, against Northwestern, despite the team’s 12 hits in the game. The team lost again to Iowa in 10-innings, even though the team recorded exactly 10 hits in the contest. Penn State is 9-2 overall in games where it has at least 10 hits.

THIEVING LIONS: Senior all-American Karen Gulini has been terrorizing opposing defenses with her speed for the last three seasons, and 2001 is no different. She has stolen 18 bases and been caught just three times. In the second game against Mississippi State at the ULV Tri-Tournament, she stole four bases on four attempts in that game. She entered the season tied for second on the career list with junior Gina Bianchini at 70 thefts. Gulini has now closed the gap with Jodi Riccardi who holds the career record 99 bases from 1996-99. Gulini trails by just 11 stolen bases and has 88 total. Bianchini now stands alone in third with 73 stolen bases.

10-INNING GAMES: Penn State has had two 10-inning games this season and have not fared well losing both contests. The 10-inning thriller at Texas A&M was the fourth time in school-history that the Lions had gone that many innings. Penn State then went 10-innings for the second time this season against the defending regular season Big Ten champions. In 1991, Penn State went 10 for the first time against Cal-State Fullerton at the same site. The Lions lost that game, 1-0. Six years later in Tampa, Fla., Penn State won, 5-4, against Ball State, then lost 4-3 decision in 1998 at Ohio State. The five 10-inning games are not the longest games in the school's record book. In Petrini's first season, the Lions went 11 innings against East Carolina in Tampa, dropping the game 4-3. Later in the same season, the Lions went a record 17 innings against the Big Ten's Wisconsin, before PSU lost, 8-7.

PENN STATE RECEIVES VOTES IN PRESEASON POLL: The Nittany Lions received 21 votes in the 2001 USA Today/NFCA Preseason Coaches Poll. UCLA took the top spot with 18 first-place votes. The poll also features two Big Ten schools in the top 25. Defending Big Ten Tournament Champion Michigan is ranked 11th, while regular season champion Iowa notches in at 13. Wisconsin and Northwestern received votes in the poll as well. The Lions will face two teams among the nation's top 25 besides the Wolverines and Hawkeyes. No. 5 Alabama will play the Lions in the first regular season tournament of the season at Texas A&M. The Aggies also garnered votes in the poll but was not ranked among the top 25, while No. 23 Mississippi State will clash with PSU at the UNLV Tri-Tournament. The Aggies received two more vote than the Lions, while Central Michigan and South Florida received fewer nods than the Lions.

GULINI CLIMBING CAREER CHARTS: Senior Karen Gulini will be leaving a dent in the record books after she graduates. The Easton, Pa. native entered the season tied for second in career stolen bases and has steadily closed the gap between herself and record-holder Jodi Ricciardi. Gulini is just 11 thefts from knotting the career record and is alone in the second spot. This season, she also entered the top 10 in runs, hits and total bases, ranking sixth (93), fourth (178) and ninth (202) in each category respectively. Entering the 2001 campaign, Gulini was second in career-batting average at .357.

SIX FRESHMEN HIGHLIGHT 2001 TEAM: The 2001 Nittany Lions welcome six new faces to the team. The 2001 freshmen class includes three infielders, two pitchers and a catcher. Back-up catcher Erica Greenberg and shortstop Barbie Pierce both hail from the Golden State. From Pennsylvania are a pair of third basemen. Jenn Pintarch is from Hummelstown, while Teresa Johnson is a local product from State College. Marisa Hanson comes to Penn State from Texas, while Shana Riggleman is from Delaware. Hanson and Riggleman are pitchers.

FAMILY TIES: Sophomore Megan Humphrey and freshman Teresa Johnson have ties to the Nittany Lion athletic program which few Penn State athletes have. Both have brothers currently playing on the Lion football team. Humphrey is the sister of Tom Humphrey, a senior cornerback. Johnson has two bothers playing football for the legendary coach, Joe Paterno. Her oldest brother, Larry, is a sophomore tailback while her twin brother, Anthony, is a true-freshman wide receiver. The Johnson's are also the children of Larry, Sr., the Penn State defensive line assistant coach.

The Humphrey's and the Johnson's are the third and fourth brother/sister combination in the athletic department. Ashley Luke, a sophomore point guard on the Lady Lion squad, is the sister of R.J. Luke, a sophomore fullback on the football team. Ashley's teammate, Courtney Upshaw, a freshman center. is the sister of Brock Upshaw, an infielder on the Nittany Lion baseball team.

RIGGLEMAN OUT FOR SEASON: Freshman pitcher Shana Riggleman was expected to make an immediate impact to the pitching lineup. The New Castle, Del., native suffered a knee injury during the off season and will have to sit out the entire 2001 campaign.

LIONS ON THE AIRWAVES: All 11 of the Nittany Lion home softball games will be broadcast on the radio through WMAJ or Penn State's WKPS. Game one of today's doubleheader can be heard through WMAJ and game two will be web cast through www.pennlive.com/wmaj. The Big Ten opening weekend will be broadcast through WKPS 90.7. If not in the listening area, can be accessed through the world wide web at www.GoPSUsports.com.

Three road dates are also on WMAJ's radio schedule. The doubleheader at Syracuse at the end of April and the last Big Ten series at Ohio State can both be heard through WMAJ or through the Internet through www.GoPSUsports.com. For a complete listing, check out the 2001 results/schedule section on the left.

COMING UP: The Lions will play a rare Tuesday doubleheader against Akron on April 10. The game begins at 3 p.m.

 PENN STATE WHEN.... At home 3-3 On road 6-6 Neutral sites 10-6 Day Games 15-3 Night Games 4-2 Vs. Lefty 1-0 Vs. Righty 18-15 Leading after two innings 10-2 Leading after four innings 15-2 Leading into seventh inning 18-0 Trailing into seventh inning 2-11 Tied into the seventh inning 2-3 Scoring first 17-3 In extra innings 1-2 1-run games 8-8 2-run games 3-2 5+ run games 5-1 When outhitting opponent 13-2 Making no errors 8-1 Against ranked teams 1-4 On Monday 1-0 On Tuesday 2-0 On Wednesday 2-2 On Thursday 0-2 On Friday 3-4 On Saturday 7-3 On Sunday 3-4 In February 6-4 In March 10-6 In April 3-5 In May 0-0