ROSEMONT, Ill. – Penn State softball collected seven postseason honors from the Big Ten Conference, highlighted by freshman pitcher Bridget Nemeth's recognition as the league's Freshman of the Year, following a release from the conference office Wednesday morning.
Nemeth additionally collected unanimous First Team All-Big Ten recognition, landing a spot as one of the top three pitchers in the league. The Glendora, California, native completed her haul of postseason accolades from the B1G with a selection to the B1G All-Freshman Team. A trio of Nittany Lions garnered spots as Second Team All-Big Ten selections, including senior infielder Kaitlyn Morrison, junior utility Maddie Gordon and senior catcher Gaby Garcia. Senior infielder Amanda Mack rounded out the seven B1G postseason honors for the Blue & White, landing recognition as the program's Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree.
With her distinction as the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year, Nemeth became the first student-athlete in Penn State history to earn an individual award from the conference office since PSU joined the B1G in the 1991-92 academic year. Nemeth also becomes the first student-athlete to win a conference individual award since Nan Sichler was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Pitcher in 1988. Nemeth became PSU's 17th selection to the All-Big Ten First Team in program history and became the third Nittany Lion to achieve those honors in the last three seasons. PSU earned First Team All-Big Ten recognition in three consecutive seasons for the first time in program history following Nemeth's appointment to the team.
Nemeth's 22-5 individual record over the course of the 2024 season stands as the winningest season among all B1G pitchers while simultaneously tying the Nittany Lion program record for wins in a single season. PSU's ace currently boasts a 1.68 season ERA, the second-best mark in the Big Ten and 39th-best nationally while additionally managing a 4.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio, the best tally in the B1G and 29th-best in Division I. Surpassing multiple milestones in her rookie campaign, Nemeth became just the second student-athlete in Penn State softball history to earn a placement on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, joining a 2019 appearance by Chelsea Biel.
Morrison, a mainstay in the Nittany Lion lineup over the past few seasons, took home a much-deserved Second Team All-Big Ten nod in the league's postseason release. The native of South Park, Pennsylvania, currently boasts the fourth-most doubles in a Nittany Lion career with 42 in addition to the third-most doubles in a single season in school history with 17 in 2024. Morrison's .349 batting average at the plate leads the team, while her .439 on-base percentage stands as the second-strongest mark on PSU's 2024 roster. She becomes Penn State's 29th recipient of Second Team All-Big Ten accolades overall, with the Blue & White picking up at least one appearance on the Second Team in every season since 2022.
The Shenandoah, Virginia, native Gordon caps off the most statistically dominant season of her collegiate softball career to date with an appearance as a Second Team All-B1G selection. Gordon ranks fourth in the Big Ten Conference in doubles (15) and fifth in doubles per game (0.29), ranking inside the top 100 nationally in both categories. Gordon currently boasts the fourth-most doubles in a single season in Penn State program history and became the 13th Nittany Lion to hit 10-or-more homers in a campaign earlier this year. The junior utility athlete garnered the 30th Second Team All-Big Ten appointment in Nittany Lion program history following Wednesday's announcement.
Garcia's impact on the Nittany Lion program in her single season with the program has been vital to the team's success, with those efforts recognized by the B1G with PSU's third selection to the All-Big Ten Second Team this season. After leaving the yard against Rutgers last weekend, Garcia moved into a tie for the eighth-most home runs in a single season in school history with 11. Garcia and Gordon both rank 13th in the B1G in total homers this year and sit atop the Nittany Lion leaderboard with their 11 long balls in 2024. Garcia's selection to the All-B1G Second Team marks PSU's 31st selection as a program all-time and ensures the Nittany Lions earned three-or-more Second Team performers for the first time since 2016.
Mack, a native of Roseland, New Jersey, garnered Penn State's nomination to the Big Ten Sportsmanship Team after a senior season that saw her log her first collegiate home run in addition to 26 overall appearances with 20 starts at first base. Mack's leadership on and off the field has been instrumental to Penn State's success in the 2024 campaign, with the veteran infielder pairing her solid season of on-field work with leadership responsibilities in the PSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. The student-athletes chosen for the Sportsmanship Award are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
Penn State kicks off its 2024 postseason run later this afternoon, Wednesday, May 8, as the seventh-seeded Nittany Lions square off against the 10th-seeded Maryland Terrapins in first-round action of the Big Ten Softball Tournament from Pearl Field in Iowa City, Iowa. The matchup is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. (ET) and will air before a national television audience via the Big Ten Network, with streaming available via the FOX Sports App.
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