Penn State softball ready to get season underway

Amanda Lehotak is starting to see something she hadn’t before.

Approaching her third campaign at the helm, Penn State’s softball coach has noticed a heightened sense of motivation from her players in the preseason.

“You can definitely tell that they have been in our system for three years,” the coach said. “If you come to our practice, it is a completely different feel then it has been in the past. It is very team-oriented, it is very selfless.

“This is the first group since I have been here, I know I haven’t had a long stay, but they are about one thing and that is winning, and that has been really fun to deal with.”

Lehotak is hoping that concentration on winning ballgames translates into results sooner rather than later, as Penn State opens its season with a Friday doubleheader against Wright State and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in Boca Raton, Fla.

Penn State found success last year in Boca Raton, starting the season off on a three-game winning streak.

Doing the same will be made easier by a full crop of returning players. Penn State is the only Big Ten school to have all 2015 starters coming back — a group that led the Nittany Lions to a 29-28 record after going 14-35 in 2014.

Lehotak is especially excited to welcome back Penn State’s now senior class. The group made a lasting impact on the 2015 season, and Penn State’s coach expects much of the same.

“They are committed,” Lehotak said. “They have been demanding in the locker room, they have been demanding on the field, and their accountability level has been really high.”

Among the seven seniors are Lexi Knief and Macy Jones, Penn State’s regular leadoff and No. 3 hitters, respectively.

Knief was stellar at the top of the order, owning a .417 batting average — good for third in the conference. The 5-foot-6 outfielder also led Penn State in hits (75), doubles (14) and triples (four).

Jones, meanwhile, was a heavy hitter with 10 home runs, 46 RBIs and a team-leading 101 total bases. The Virginia native lent a hand pitching, too, contributing 59 innings of work while posting a team-best 3.80 ERA.

Jones won’t be a primary starting pitcher — she came on in relief in 17 of her 21 appearances last season. But the lefty could help Penn State’s rotation yet again in 2016, after starters struggled at times in 2015. The Nittany Lions’ team ERA last season was 4.88, sixth in the conference.

What should aid in that effort? The additions of freshmen Madison Seifert and Madison Shaffer. Lehotak said, after seeing the duo pitch in the fall, that Seifert could be a true ace, while Shaffer will get looks as well.

With Seifert in tow alongside junior Marlaina Laubach (13-10, 4.07 ERA in 2015), Lehotak believes the Nittany Lions have two potential No. 1 pitchers to pair with Jones, Shaffer and Christy Von Pusch.

Lehotak is hoping to see that rotation handle itself with poise this weekend.

In the meantime, she’s having a hard time staying patient herself with the season just days away.

“This is the worst week for a head coach,” Lehotak said with a smile. “It is harder than waiting for Santa Claus when you’re eight.”

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 8:20 PM with the headline "Penn State softball ready to get season underway."