2025 • FIFTH YEAR SEASON
Awards: One of four Nittany Lion student-athletes to garner Second Team All-Big Ten Conference honors in the postseason… Picked up NFCA Second Team All-Northeast Region laurels, joining a trio of teammates on the All-Region squad.
Season: Made an indelible impact on the Nittany Lion roster in her only season with the program, mustering the second-best offensive season on the team in a record-setting campaign… Played in 51 contests for the Blue & White, starting in 49 of those opportunities primarily at first base… Was one of four routine starters with an OPS north of 1.000, turning in a 1.065 mark in the statistic to rank third on the team… Hit to the tune of a .359 batting average overall while leading PSU in conference-only batting average with an even .400 mark against league challengers… One of four players in the 50-hit club for the Nittany Lions, logging 51 total with 12 doubles and eight homers… Chipped in with 31 RBI while scoring 49 runs in her own right… Led the Nittany Lions in stolen bases with 11, finishing the year 11-for-12 on the basepath… On the defensive side of things, Ricks booked a .958 fielding percentage, adding 191 putouts to lead the team while adding 13 assists.
Rankings: Ranked inside the top 15 among Big Ten Conference student-athletes in runs scored per game, booking a 0.96 mark in the statistic.
vs. Texas Tech (2/7): Tallied her first multi-hit outing as a Nittany Lion on the first day of the season, booking a 2-for-5 effort with her first PSU run scored in addition to two doubles and a pair of RBI. vs. Nicholls (2/21): Booked her first three-hit effort on the year, going 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, a double and RBI. vs. Robert Morris (2/28): Cranked a home run in an eye-popping 3-for-4 performance that featured three runs scored and a pair of RBI, stealing a base in the process. vs. Minnesota (3/15): Mustered her first multi-hit game against a conference foe, going 2-for-4 with two runs, a homer and three RBI. Rutgers (4/5): Helped the Nittany Lions clinch the sweep against the Scarlet Knights with a pair of hits in four at-bats, scoring three runs with a double and home run in addition to a pair of RBI… Added a season-high eight putouts on the defensive end. Ohio State (4/12): Powered Penn State to its first run-rule victory over a ranked opponent in school history, lifting the Nittany Lions with a trio of runs scored in three plate appearances, going 1-for-1 with a grand slam in addition to a walk and hit by pitch. at Maryland (4/25): Opened the series against the Terrapins with a three-hit effort, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two doubles and a home run. B1G Tournament First Round vs. Iowa (5/7): Booked a multi-hit outing in the opening round of the conference postseason, a 2-for-4 performance that featured her final collegiate homer.
BEFORE PENN STATE
Ricks joined the Nittany Lions following a successful four-year career at Florida Gulf Coast University which included 127 career appearances and 112 starts… Overall, Ricks registered 74 total hits while amassing 49 career runs scored… She worked for 22 combined extra-base hits at FGCU split between 10 doubles, six triples and six home runs… Speed was the name of the game during her time in Fort Myers, assembling 32 career stolen bases highlighted by back-to-back double-digit steal campaigns in 2023 and 2024… The rising fifth year collected a wide array of accolades with the Eagles, highlighted by First Team All-Conference honors after a breakout 2023 campaign… During her stint with the Eagles, Ricks was a key contributor in the program’s 2024 Atlantic Sun Tournament championship and NCAA Gainesville Regional appearance.
HIGH SCHOOL
One of the strongest high school performers in the state of Florida, Ricks played her high school softball at Winter Haven Senior in her native Winter Haven, Florida… Named a MaxPreps All-American in 2017-18… Ricks picked up First Team All-County accolades in every season from 2017 to 2019, additionally earning recognition as the Winter Haven Offensive Player of the Year in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 academic years… In addition to her experience on the softball diamond, Ricks also competed in varsity volleyball at Winter Haven… Played her travel ball for Florida Team Impact in Lakeland, Florida, from 2015 to 2020… Won ASA Gold Nationals 16u crown in 2017-18, as well as the Legacy Gold 18U title and Premier Legacy Invitational crown in 2018-19… She placed second in the Junior Olympics in 2018, followed by a fifth-place finish in 2019.
PERSONAL
Born in the summer of 2002, Meagan Ricks is the youngest daughter of Steve and Stacy Ricks, hailing from Winter Haven, Florida… Ricks has one older sister, named Katelynn Jackson, who is three years her senior… She graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University in the spring of 2024 with a Bachelor of Science degree in health science, and will pursue a postgraduate certificate in Business Management Foundations in the prestigious Penn State Smeal College of Business, planning to graduate with that certificate in the spring of 2025… Upon completion of her academic career, Ricks intends to pursue a career as a dental hygienist.