ROSEMONT, Ill. – Penn State softball placed a trio of student-athletes on the Big Ten Players to Watch List released on Tuesday afternoon, with senior utility Maddie Gordon, sophomore pitcher Bridget Nemeth and sophomore infielder Kaylie Walters garnering attention for the Blue & White.
A native of Glendora, California, Nemeth enters her second season in University Park after booking the winningest single season in Penn State history, as the then-rookie posted a 23-8 individual record a year ago. She added four saves in her inaugural campaign with the Blue & White, already sitting in fifth place all-time at PSU for saves in a career. Nemeth led the B1G and ranked 10th nationally with 210.0 innings pitched, logged the second-best ERA in the league with a 1.77 mark, registered the third-most strikeouts in the conference and 17th-most strikeouts in Division I with 202, and tallied the third-most complete games in the B1G with 17. She also appeared at the plate as a hitter for PSU in 2024, totaling four hits with five RBI and a pair of home runs, highlighted by the game-tying home run in the series finale at Nebraska that helped PSU secure the two-win weekend in Lincoln.
Hailing from Shenandoah, Virginia, Gordon is fresh off her most statistically dominant season as a collegiate athlete, standing as Penn State’s returning leader in batting average with a .335 mark in the statistic paired with a .654 slugging percentage as one of the best power threats in the Big Ten. She started and played in all 55 games for the Blue & White last season, becoming one of just four Nittany Lions to accomplish that feat. Gordon led the Nittany Lions in practically every statistical category, including career-best seasons in at-bats (179), runs scored (47), hits (60), home runs (13), RBI (41), total bases (117) and slugging percentage (.654). Gordon fielded multiple positions, splitting time between a pair of outfield slots and second base, registering 72 putouts and 38 assists on the year.
Walters, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, arrived in Happy Valley following a dominant rookie campaign at Keystone State-rival Saint Francis. Walters contributed heavily to Saint Francis’ NEC Regular Season and Tournament Championship runs, starting and playing in all 55 games for the Red Flash, predominately in the middle infield. Walters contributed 42 hits, 41 runs scored, an eye-popping 45 walks and a dominant 29-steal season on the basepath. Walters’ astounding .473 on-base percentage ranked inside the top 100 nationally in addition to ranking second in the conference. In her single season in Loretto, Walters garnered First Team All-Northeast Conference honors, NEC All-Rookie distinction, two NEC Rookie of the Week honors and a pair of appearances as an NEC Prime Performer.
All 17 softball-sponsoring Big Ten Conference member institutions submit a total of three players they would like recognized on the B1G Players to Watch List. All three Nittany Lions tabbed as a Player to Watch have been named either a First Team or Second Team All-Conference selection over the course of their collegiate careers, with Nemeth landing a unanimous First Team choice in the B1G last year while Walters collected First Team accolades in the Northeast Conference during her stint at Saint Francis. Gordon, meanwhile, garnered Second Team All-B1G laurels following her breakout junior year as a full-time starter at multiple positions in the Nittany Lion lineup a year ago.
Anchored by its trio of Big Ten Players to Watch, Penn State will open its 60th anniversary season and travel to Clearwater, Florida, and the Eddie C. Moore Complex to take part in the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic. PSU will battle against the defending Women’s College World Series participant and seventh-ranked Duke Blue Devils on opening night, a 5 p.m. (ET) contest slated for Friday, February 7. The Nittany Lions will conclude the weekend with games against No. 13 Texas Tech, Kennesaw State, No. 24 Mississippi State and Notre Dame. All games will stream live via the Gamechanger app, with the complete 2025 Penn State softball schedule available on the team’s webpage.
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