UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State softball sophomore pitcher Bridget Nemeth garnered her second Preseason All-America accolade of the 2025 campaign, with D1Softball naming the Glendora, California, native a Second Team Preseason All-American in the organization’s release Wednesday.
One of the strongest freshman performers in Penn State program history, Nemeth has hauled in a litany of preseason accolades highlighted by a pair of preseason top 100 player rankings from both D1Softball and Softball America. Nemeth also landed her second Preseason All-America Second Team accolade of the 2025 preseason, adding Wednesday’s recognition from D1Softball to an additional accolade from Softball America. Nemeth’s record-breaking freshman season a year ago helped propel PSU to its first NCAA Regional bid in 13 seasons, closing the book on a 35-20 campaign in 2024.
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 multiple 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 a three-year span. 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.
Nemeth was one of 36 student-athletes to garner preseason All-America accolades from D1Softball on Wednesday, becoming the first Penn State to secure those honors on record. Penn State was one of just 20 programs to garner recognition with at least one student-athlete named to the D1Softball Preseason All-America Teams. The Blue & White were one of just four Big Ten Conference member institutions to secure at least one honoree, with PSU’s Nemeth joining Preseason First Team pitcher honoree Jordy Bahl of Nebraska, as well as fellow Second Team designees in Northwestern second baseman Kansas Robinson, and UCLA utilities Kaitlyn Terry, Megan Grant, and Bruin pitcher Taylor Tinsley.
With Nemeth anchoring the Nittany Lions in the circle, Penn State will open its 60th anniversary season in just over two 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. All games at the 2025 NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic 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.