Sophomore pitcher Tarra Oravec, on the mound against Penn State Fayette last season, is the ace of a strong staff that includes Jenna Swank and Bridget Fisher. Pitching is the key to the Lady Lions championship aspirations.
SIX HOME DOUBLEHEADERS
Wolfpack Park, Lower Burrell
PRESEASON GAMES IN FLORIDA
Orlando, March 4-8
The Penn State New Kensington softball team will put western Pennsylvania’s capricious weather patterns in the rearview mirror March 3 as they head to Orlando, Florida, during spring break for sunshine and dry fields.
The preseason schedule begins March 4 with spring training at Hancock Park in Clermont. The New Kensington Lady Lions will play seven preseason games against Anna Maria College from Massachusetts, Finlandia University from Michigan, Coe College from Iowa, and St. Vincent College and Susquehanna University from Pennsylvania. The itinerary is not all bats, bunts, and bases. In keeping with the spirit of the campus' spring break, the players also will have some beach time.
The Lady Lions are in the midst of conditioning, fielding and hitting in the Athletics Center. Coach Mike Marsili's squad is working out in the weight room, doing drills in the gymnasium and taking batting practice from the pitching machine inside a 50-foot enclosed net. In addition, pitchers are throwing on the sidelines. When the weather breaks, the team can utilize the multi-purpose grass practice field behind the Athletics Center.
The 2013 campaign gets under way at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19, with a nonconference game at Carlow University in Pittsburgh. The home opener is set for noon, Sunday, Mar. 24, with a double header against Westmoreland County Community College at Wolf Pack Park in Lower Burrell, Pa.
Marsili's squad is set to play six home doubleheaders at Wolf Pack Park. Located at the intersection of Wild Life Lodge and Garvers Ferry roads, the municipal field has served as home to the softball team the past five years. The 22-game schedule features 16 Penn State University Athletic Conference games and six nonconference contests.
Last year, Marsili guided the team to a 11-7 PSUAC record and a third-place finish in the conference. The Lady Lions earned a berth in the conference playoffs and lost in the semifinals to Penn State Mont Alto, 2-0.
A former assistant coach at Kiski Area High School, Marsili begins his fifth year as head coach. He is a certified coach and conducts numerous clinics throughout the year. His assistant is Brian Eshbaugh, who was the head coach of the Lady Lions for three years, 2002-05. Eshbaugh guided New Kensington to two PSUAC championships.
For the full softball schedule, visit http://psnkathletics.com/sports/sball/2012-13/schedule online.