Penn State softball (7-0) went undefeated in Leesburg, Florida, and beat Kansas and Coastal Carolina before the rest of the tournament was canceled due to weather.

The 7-0 start to the season has tied for the best start in Penn State softball history, and it has only happened two other times in 1974 and 2023.

At the plate, Emily Maddock was five-for-seven, and Haylie Brunson ripped the ball in the double-header with a .429 batting average.

Game One

The start of the tournament was a huge 5-4 victory against Kansas.

The Nittany Lions started off with the bats hot once again, registering two runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Jayhawks came right back scoring four in the top of the second, putting Penn State down 4-2.

Penn State overcame the deficit in the fifth and scored three more runs after a liner from Brunson punched through to right center sent Emily Maddock and Audree Mendoza home.

Neither team scored in the last two innings, and Penn State walked away with the 5-4 win.

Game Two

Game two was a 6-2 victory over Coastal Carolina.

The first two innings were quiet, but four back-to-back two-out hits in the top of the third inning gave Penn State a leg up 3-0. Coastal Carolina answered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning.

The Nittany Lions struck again in the top of the fourth inning with four more runs that began with walks from Bridget Nemeth and Michelle Barbanente. Amanda Mack singled to load the bases, and Maddock kept up her reputation at the plate with a triple to right field that put Penn State up by six.

Penn State held it down and finished the game 6-2.

The remainder of the weekend was canceled due to inclement weather.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will travel to Lynchburg, Virginia, to play in the Liberty Softball Classic. Game one will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 23, against Saint Francis.