UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State softball head coach Clarisa Crowell announced the signing of three future Nittany Lions on Thursday. Abigail Britton, Macy Chamberlin and Natalie Lieto each inked their National Letters of Intent to play collegiately at PSU beginning in the 2025 regular season.
"It is with great enthusiasm that I introduce our 2024 recruiting class," Crowell expressed. "I am very excited about this group of student-athletes, and I know that they will be an imperative part of our program for the next four years. In addition to being talented athletes, this class epitomizes the values that we have as a program. We place a strong emphasis on comprehensive excellence, and I know that Abi, Macy and Natalie will be great representatives of Penn State Softball. I have full faith that they will excel at a high level both on the field and in the classroom."
ABIGAIL BRITTON | RHP | 5-10 | LAVALE, MD. | ALLEGANY
Britton is a talented and highly decorated recruit that is expected to make an immediate and significant impact in the circle for the Nittany Lions. One of the most dominant individual performers in the state of Maryland, Britton helped guide Allegany High School to a Class 1A state championship in 2022. She was lauded as both the Area and Region Player of the Year, as well as the Dapper Dan award winner in each of the past two seasons. Britton's career high school stat line is astonishing, booking a 0.405 ERA with 361 strikeouts and eight walks in 153 innings of work. She additionally pitched five perfect games over the course of her 2023 high school season. In the batter's box, she booked a .616 batting average while recording 69 hits, 19 homers, 95 RBI and 33 runs with a 1.269 slugging percentage.
She plays travel ball for Virginia Glory under the direction of coaches Suzy Willemssen and Kevin Bedonski and has participated in the organization since 2017. Britton was chosen as the club's captain last season and will serve as captain once again in the upcoming 2024 campaign. Through Virginia Glory, Britton was additionally tabbed as a final selection for USA Softball's High-Performance Program, or HPP. According to Extra Inning Softball, Britton currently stands as the 24th-ranked pitcher and 35th-ranked player in the class overall.
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WHY ABIGAIL CHOSE PENN STATE
"As soon as I stepped on Penn State's campus for my visit, it immediately felt like home. The energy on the campus is something I can't explain, and it's something I knew I wanted to be a part of. After talking with the coaches and hearing what they had planned for the future of the program, I knew that Penn State was where I wanted to spend my collegiate career."
COACH CROWELL ON BRITTON
"Abi is a strong right-handed pitcher, and we will look for her to have an immediate impact on our program. She will be a very good addition to our pitching staff, as her strengths as a pitcher will be a great compliment to our current rotation. Abi is someone who will throw with high velocity, and she will also have elite spin and movement on her pitches. She has experienced a lot of success in her career, and she helped lead her high school team to a state championship in 2022. We are very excited for Abi to join our team, and I know that she will be a great player and teammate for our program."
MACY CHAMBERLIN | C | 5-9 | WAUSEON, OHIO | EVERGREEN
An impressive two-sport athlete at Evergreen High School, Chamberlin has spent her entire career as a pivotal player on both the softball and basketball teams. She has racked up school career records in runs, walks, RBI, home runs, triples, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. She also maintains Evergreen's single-season records in home runs with 13, batting average with a .690 clip and on-base percentage with a .771 single-season mark. Chamberlin has hauled in a litany of high school accolades, highlighted by recognition as the NFCA High School Player of the Week, as well as landing multiple First Team All-State, First Team All-Conference and First Team All-District honors. She was recognized as the Conference Player of the Year in each of the past two seasons and has helped lead Evergreen to a pair of conference titles through this point in her career.
Chamberlin handles her travel ball commitments through the Turnin2 program, currently playing under the direction of coach Shawn Maloney. She has participated in national travel schedules in each year of her career since 2018, including the last four seasons with Turnin2. Chamberlin ranks as the No. 37 overall prospect in the 2024 class according to Extra Inning Softball and stands as the No. 17 catcher prospect.
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WHY MACY CHOSE PENN STATE
"Several things come to mind when I answer the 'why' question about Penn State. First, I was impressed by the tremendous coaching staff because they not only care about me as a softball player, but as a complete student-athlete as well. Then, during my official visit, I was able to interact with current players and witness the family atmosphere of Penn State softball. Finally, I am really excited to have an opportunity to play on Beard Field, which I consider one of the best facilities in the Big Ten."
COACH CROWELL ON CHAMBERLIN
"Macy is a power hitting catcher who will bring significant offensive production to our lineup, and she will also be a great asset for us behind the plate. She is a solid catcher, and offensively she will contribute a ton of power to our lineup. Macy is one of the best hitters in the state of Ohio, and she has experienced a lot of success at both the travel ball and high school level. She is a hard worker who is passionate about softball, and I know that she will have a positive impact on our program."
NATALIE LIETO | OF | 5-6 | MONROE, CONN. | MASUK
One of the most dominant individual performers in high school softball across the northeast, Lieto has helped guide Masuk High School to three consecutive state championships in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons. Lieto has secured First Team All-Conference, Class L All-State and GameTimeCT All-State accolades in each of her three varsity seasons to date, directing Masuk to a trio of conference titles in the process. On the diamond, she boasts an impressive .474 batting average and a 1.145 slugging percentage with a striking .640 on-base percentage. In addition to her work on the field, she is also a member of the school's varsity basketball team during the winter season, collecting all-conference accolades on the court.
She has spent time as a member of the CT Seahawks organization and currently plays travel ball on the Rhode Island Thunder 18U National travel team under the direction of coach Dave Lotti. Lieto has been a team captain with Rhode Island Thunder since the 2022 season and has also earned PGF Regional All-America and Triple Crown Future Stars All-Star accolades during her club career. She owns the No. 34 overall ranking and is the No. 25 outfield prospect according to Extra Inning Softball. Lieto is the highest-ranked prospect in the state of Connecticut.
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WHY NATALIE CHOSE PENN STATE
"Penn State's competitive and supportive atmosphere is everything I was looking for and more when making my college decision. I wanted to be a part of something bigger, and I also wanted to become a piece in creating a dominant program in Happy Valley. I'm so grateful that I will have the opportunity to wear Penn State across my chest, and I can't wait to get started on the journey of bringing some hardware to the Nittany Lion softball program."
COACH CROWELL ON LIETO
"Natalie is a standout outfielder who will have an impact for our program on both sides of the ball. As a hitter, she will bring both power and speed to our lineup, and defensively she is a dynamic outfielder with a strong arm. Natalie has experienced significant success at the travel ball level, and she has also helped lead her high school team to three consecutive state championships. In addition to her softball skillset, Natalie will bring a competitive and championship mindset to our program. We are very excited that she will be joining our team next fall."
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Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State softball. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion softball team on Facebook at /pennstatesoftball as well as Twitter and Instagram @PennStateSB.
