BEFORE PENN STATE
Young joined the Blue & White following a breakout campaign at the University of South Dakota in 2025 in which she was named a Second Team All-Summit League selection… Young mustered an impressive 14-8 individual record in the circle while clocking an earned run average of 2.46, the best individual effort of her career to date… Young boasts a strong strikeout-to-walk ratio over the course of her career, mustering a 2.55 mark in that category since her debut season in 2024… Young appeared in 32 contests in 2025 and made 21 starts, finishing the season with 10 complete games, five shutouts and a save to her credit… Her 2025 stats included 128.0 innings pitched and 152 strikeouts while holding opposing batters to a meager .229 average… Young’s 152 strikeouts in the 2025 campaign ranked fifth all-time in South Dakota program history, while her 8.3 strikeouts per seven innings ranked 28th in college softball.
HIGH SCHOOL
As a student-athlete at Brodhead High School in Brodhead, Wisconsin, Young was a dominant performer in the circle, and also earned varsity letters in volleyball… On the diamond, Young helped lead her team to the 2023 Wisconsin State Championship, earning Division III Player of the Year and First Team All-State laurels that season… Was a Second Team All-State choice from 2021 to 2022 and also picked up First Team All-District and All-Conference laurels in every season from 2021 to 2023… She was thrice named Team MVP and was also awarded as Rock Valley Conference Player of the Year and RSchool Athlete of the Week in the 2023 campaign… As a travel ball athlete, Young worked with a trio of club organizations, finishing her career with Nebraska Gold in Omaha, Nebraska, under the guidance of coach Moe Anderson… She was awarded as the 2022 18U Home Run Derby Champion, picked up WSC MVP laurels in 2022, and was a two-time USSSA MVP and All-Star Choice while playing travel ball.
PERSONAL
Born in the spring of 2005, McKenna Young is the only daughter and youngest child of Erika and Jeremiah Young… She has one older brother, named Mason… During high school, Young was involved in the National Honors Society while picking up Honor Roll status throughout her academic career… She has also been involved with organizations away from the diamond and classroom, working with Y2Y and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes… While at Penn State, Young will study Human Development and Family Studies and expects to graduate in the spring of 2027… She hopes to one day play softball professionally, but eventually get a doctorate degree in physical therapy with the goal of working at the college or professional level… After years in the professional space, she hopes to open her own gym and give back to her community by training high-level athletes… In her time away from softball, she enjoys hiking, baking and arts & crafts.