Myrtle Beach, SC – The Penn State Greater Allegheny Softball Team (0-0, 0-0) kicks off their 2018 season with doubleheader action on Tuesday starting at 1 p.m. at the Cal Ripken Experience Complex. They will start the day off facing Cumberland at 1 p.m. and finish the day with a matchup against Lincoln at 3 p.m.
PSUGA softball is on the rise after having a successful 12-12 campaign in 2017 including a 11-9 record in conference play. After being a non-existent program the year before, head coach Victoria Blosser and her team are looking to continue the success and continue to improve in 2018.
They are led by Sophomore pitcher Lacie Lautner (Pleasant Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson). Lautner pitched to a team best 2.74 ERA a year ago while striking out 87 over 81.0 innings of work. She won the Penn State University Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year for her efforts finishing with the third lowest ERA in the league.
Lautner will look to lead a young core of PSUGA players who will look to make their mark on this year’s team. Tara Love (Chandler, Az./Campo Verde HS) adds another arm to the pitching staff and brings on a full arsenal of pitches. Love played for the Arizona Force Travel baseball team and brings a six-pitch arsenal to the mound.
Offensively, Sophomore Catcher Sydney Frichtman (Carnegie, Pa./Carlynton) will look to bring her consistent presence to the middle of the lineup. Last season, she hit .390 with no home runs and 16 RBI. Her .390 average was the highest among all catchers in the PSUAC and was the third highest on the team.
Softball kicks off the season with six games over the next three days in Myrtle Beach. They will play double headers on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday before getting an off-day on Friday. The team is looking to build on their success from last season and continue to build on it throughout the 2018 season.
Game one of Tuesday’s Softball double-header is scheduled for 1 p.m. followed by their second game of the day scheduled for 3 p.m.