LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Penn State softball freshman infielder Allison Oneacre added to her already-extensive array of individual accolades on Thursday, with the rookie Nittany Lion named a top-10 finalist for the NFCA National Freshman of the Year award following a release from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
A native of Alpharetta, Georgia, Oneacre has already established herself as one of the most dominant freshmen in Penn State program history. The first-year Penn Stater already owns the Nittany Lion single-season RBI record, driving in 56 scores through this point in the campaign. Oneacre also boasts the Penn State freshman home run record with 18, ranking second in a single-season all-time in Happy Valley in that statistic behind the program’s only First Team NFCA All-American in Cassidy Bell, who mashed 30 homers during her senior year in 2013. Oneacre is Penn State’s statistical leader in batting average (.370), OPS (1.303), doubles (13), home runs (18), RBI (61), slugging (.805), on-base percentage (.498) and assists (78).
The rookie infielder has established herself as a breakout star in college softball throughout the 2026 campaign, with Oneacre ranking sixth in the Big Ten Conference and 29th nationally in total RBI (61) and 46th nationally in RBI per game (1.17), while ranking 10th in the Big Ten and 38th across Division I softball with 18 home runs. Her offensive prowess is also highlighted by the 10th-best slugging percentage in the Big Ten with an .827 mark.
Oneacre has racked up a wide array of individual accolades over the course of the 2026 campaign, earning National Freshman of the Week honors from both D1Softball and Softball America on February 17, as well as Softball America’s No. 1 third baseman ranking on March 3 and No. 5 shortstop ranking at the midseason mark. The rookie infielder has also picked up Big Ten Freshman of the Week distinction twice this year, earning PSU’s first honor of that nature since the 2024 campaign. Oneacre became the first Nittany Lion in program history to secure back-to-back Big Ten Conference weekly honors since PSU joined the league in 1992. She becomes just the second Nittany Lion in program history to secure a spot on the NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 10 leaderboard, joining current junior teammate and right-handed pitcher Bridget Nemeth, who peaked with an appearance on the Top 10 list during her breakout campaign in 2024.
Nine different universities and four conferences are represented on this year’s list. Oklahoma is the lone program with two student-athletes in Kai Minor and Kendall Wells, bringing the Sooners’ top-10 finalist total to 10, the most of any program. The previously-mentioned duo, along with Ole Miss’ Madi George and Alabama’s Vic Moten, represent the Southeastern Conference. The Big Ten matched the SEC with four honorees – UCLA’s Bri Alejandre, Nebraska’s Alexis Jensen, Northwestern’s Marina Mason and Oneacre. Kansas’ Ella Boyer and Virginia Tech’s Bree Carrico represented the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conferences, respectively. On May 20, the three finalists will be released with the winner being revealed on May 26. The top 10 list, along with the top three and winner, are voted on by the NFCA Division I All-America Committee. To be eligible, student-athletes must be nominated by their member head coach and in their first year of NCAA Division I collegiate competition as a true freshman or redshirt freshman.
With Oneacre leading the charge, Penn State continues its run in the 2026 Big Ten Softball Tournament presented by Allstate with a quarterfinal matchup against the sixth-ranked and third-seeded UCLA Bruins on Thursday night, May 7. First pitch from Maryland Softball Stadium on the campus of the University of Maryland is slated for approximately 7 p.m. (ET), with national television coverage provided via the Big Ten Network and streaming through the FOX Sports App.
ABOUT THE NFCA DIVISION I NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
The NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award was created in 2014 to honor outstanding athletic achievement among Division I freshmen softball student-athletes. The NFCA awards Freshman of the Year plaudits to a student-athlete from NCAA DI, NCAA DII, NCAA DIII and NAIA. For more information about all NFCA Awards, visit nfca.org.
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.
The 2026 Penn State softball season is presented by Highmark.