UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State softball sophomore pitcher Bridget Nemeth garnered further national acclaim as the No. 12 pitcher in the country according to D1Softball’s release Tuesday morning.
The Glendora, California, native Nemeth has hauled in a plethora of national awards and honors over the first two weeks of the 2025 preseason, earning a pair of individual top 100 player rankings from Softball America and D1Softball. Nemeth was also selected as a Softball America Second Team Preseason All-American in a release one week ago, furthering her highly decorated start to her collegiate career. Nemeth stands as the third-highest ranked pitcher in the Big Ten Conference behind second-ranked Nebraska star Jordy Bahl and 11th-ranked UCLA athlete Taylor Tinsley.
Nemeth enters her second season in University Park following the winningest single season in Penn State history, as the then-rookie posted a 23-8 individual record a year ago. She added five 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.
Her bevy of statistical achievements last season warranted myriad national, regional and conference accolades, as Nemeth became the first student-athlete in Penn State history to be named a Freshman All American, collecting those honors from both Softball America and D1Softball. Nemeth additionally filled her trophy case with the Penn State Female Athlete of the Year Award, becoming the second softball athlete to earn that award in the last three years. She secured placements on both the Top 25 and Top 10 Watch Lists for the NFCA National Freshman of the Year Award, was named to both the All-Big Ten First Team and Freshman Team, secured an NFCA All-Great Lakes Region First Team appointment and became the first individual B1G award winner in PSU softball history after landing the Big Ten Freshman of the Year Award.
With Nemeth guiding the Nittany Lions in the circle, Penn State will open its 60th anniversary season in just over three weeks, as the Blue & White travel to Clearwater, Florida, and the Eddie C. Moore Complex to take part in the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic. PSU will battle against defending the Women’s College World Series participant 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 Mississippi State, Missouri, Kennesaw State and Notre Dame. All games will stream live via the Gamechanger app.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
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.