LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Penn State softball and head coach Clarisa Crowell announced the Nittany Lions participation in the 2025 NFCA Leadoff Classic Monday afternoon following a release from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. PSU is set to square off against a trio of NCAA Tournament foes from the 2024 campaign, highlighted by a pair of Super Regional squads and one Women’s College World Series participant.
The Blue & White kick off the program’s 61st varsity season on Friday, February 7, as the Nittany Lions square off against the defending WCWS challenger Duke Blue Devils in a 5 p.m. (ET) first pitch from the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Florida. Penn State’s challenging weekend of matchups continues with a 8 p.m. (ET) first pitch later that evening against fellow the 2024 NCAA Regional participant Mississippi State Bulldogs. PSU will play a pair of games on Saturday, February 8, battling a 2024 Super Regional host in the Missouri Tigers at noon (ET) before a 6 p.m. (ET) challenge against the Kennesaw State Owls. Penn State’s opening weekend on Florida’s gulf coast closes out with a 10 a.m. (ET) test against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday, February 9.
One of the youngest programs in the nation, the Duke Blue Devils open up their eighth season in program history against the Nittany Lions following a dominant 52-9 effort that resulted in an Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and a trip to the 2024 Women’s College World Series. Duke swept their way past Morgan State and South Carolina in the Durham regional, upset Missouri on the road in the Columbia Super Regional by a 2-1 tally, and ultimately concluded their campaign with losses to eventual national champion Oklahoma and Alabama.
Mississippi State gears up for its 2024 season following a solid 34-20 showing a year ago that included an even 12-12 finish in Southeastern Conference play. The Bulldogs suffered an opening round loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first round of the SEC Tournament, and ultimately bowed their way out of the NCAA Stanford Regional following a competitive loss to the host-Cardinal and a 7-0 defeat at the hands of Cal State Fullerton.
Fresh off one of the strongest seasons in school history, the Missouri Tigers enter the fray in Clearwater following a 48-18 effort in the 2024 season highlighted by a 13-win campaign in Southeastern Conference play. The Tigers participated in last year’s NFCA Leadoff Classic, going 5-0 at the…
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