STATE COLLEGE, Pa., April 24, 2003 - Penn State softball travels to Wisconsin and Minnesota for key Big Ten matchups. Currently sitting in sixth place in the conference standings, the Lions will be looking to improve their position as the Badgers host PSU on April 25 and 26, while the Gophers play host for a doubleheader on April 27.
The Lions are 6-6 in Big Ten action, splitting every conference series to date. Penn State is looking to perform a little better this weekend at Wisconsin and Minnesota, as only the top six teams play in the Big Ten Tournament. The Gophers are just ahead of the Lions in fifth place with an 8-6 league record, while Wisconsin is only 3-11 but has played close games with some of the top teams in the league. Penn State leads the all-time series with the Badgers, 13-8, winning three of the four meetings in 2002. After the Lions dropped a 2-1 decision to UW at the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Feb. 24, 2002, PSU went on to sweep the regular season doubleheader in State College, 5-1 and 4-1, then eliminated the Badgers from the Big Ten Tournament, 3-0, in Ann Arbor, Mich. Penn State has not had as good of a record in Madison, Wisc., going 3-5 since 1997. Minnesota has an large lead in the all-time series over the Lions, 24-11. The Gophers swept the two-game series in State College last year, 5-4 and 3-2. The Lions did make a trip out to Minneapolis at the end of the season. Minnesota was selected to play host of the NCAA Region 2 Tournament where Penn State posted a 2-2 record and nearly upset then-defending national champion Arizona, but the Lions lost, 4-3. The Badgers and the Lions play on Friday, April 25 at 6 p.m. CT then play again on Saturday, April 26 to close out the series at 12 p.m. CT. Penn State then travels to Minnesota for a doubleheader on Sunday, April 27. The game was originally scheduled for 12 p.m. CT but will now be played at 10 a.m. CT. Every game this weekend can be followed with live stats by clicking on the link at www.GoPSUsports.com.
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