2026 • JUNIOR SEASON
Awards: Lauded as a Big Ten Conference Player to Watch in the preseason by the league office… Named an Academic All-Big Ten Conference selection in the postseason.
Season: Appeared in and started all 54 contests for the Nittany Lions, serving primarily as Penn State’s second baseman while also making appearances in the outfield… Finished the year with a .297 batting average after recording 43 hits in 145 at-bats… Tallied six doubles, three triples and eight home runs while driving in 26 runs and scoring 48 times, the second-highest run total on the squad… Posted a .545 slugging percentage and .461 on-base percentage while drawing a team-high 40 walks… Added 11 stolen bases in 16 attempts and was hit by five pitches… Registered 10 multiple-hit games and five multiple-RBI performances… Put together a nine-game hitting streak and an 18-game reached-base streak during the season… Started 50 games at second base and four in left field, finishing with 79 putouts and 55 assists while helping turn five double plays defensively.
Rankings: Ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 41st nationally in walks per game with a 0.74 average after drawing 40 walks in 54 appearances.
vs. Lafayette (2/14): Turned in a two-hit performance, finishing 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and walk. vs. Notre Dame (2/21): Delivered one of her top run-producing efforts of the season, going 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI. at UCF (2/20): Recorded her first home run of the season, adding a walk to her season total. vs. Radford (3/6): Reached base three times behind a hit and two walks while scoring twice. at Oregon (3/13): Connected on a solo home run while adding a walk and stolen base in conference action. Wisconsin (3/20): Powered the offense with a two-hit performance that included a home run and two RBI. at Rutgers (3/27): Legged out a triple, scored twice and reached base twice in a productive road effort. at Rutgers (3/28): Came through with a home run, two runs scored and two walks. Maryland (4/3): Produced a two-run home run while scoring once and reaching base twice. Bucknell (4/14): Turned in a strong all-around performance, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Saint Francis (4/21): Authored one of her best offensive games of the year, finishing 3-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base. at Illinois (4/26): Closed out the series with a three-hit performance that featured a double, RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base. Nebraska (5/2): Added a home run in the final game of the regular season. B1G Tournament First Round vs. Northwestern (5/6): Reached base twice and drove in a run while helping Penn State advance in postseason play.
2025 • SOPHOMORE SEASON
Awards: Garnered Academic All-Big Ten accolades in her first eligible season as a sophomore.
Season: Mustered a breakout sophomore season, contributing as Penn State’s primary second baseman over the course of the 2025 campaign with 51 games played and 49 starts… Logged a .284 batting average with an impressive .300 mark against Big Ten Conference competition… Amassed 33 total hits with 14 going for extra bases, highlighted by a single-season career best eight home runs… Contributed the fourth-most RBI on the PSU roster with 36… Clocked a .953 OPS with a .552 slugging percentage paired with a .401 OBP that included 21 walks and three hit-by-pitches… Was a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen base opportunities… Finished the season with a .964 fielding percentage that included the fourth-most putouts (87) and third-most assists (47) on the squad.
vs. Mississippi State (2/8): Booked her first multi-hit outing of her sophomore campaign, going 2-for-2 at the dish with a pair of singles and a walk. vs. Notre Dame (2/9): Logged her most prolific individual defensive performance of the year with a career-best six putouts against the Fighting Irish. vs. Virginia Tech (3/1): Reached base via HBP offensively while logging a perfect defensive effort that included a season-best four assists and additional pair of putouts. Lafayette (3/9): Made a splash against the Leopards with a pair of homers to tie her career high and single-game PSU record, while logging six RBI to muster the second-most single-game RBI in school history. Bucknell (4/1): Booked a 2-for-3 performance in the box with a run scored and four RBI, adding a pair of doubles to set a season high in the statistic. Rutgers (4/5): Had another multi-hit outing with a 2-for-4 performance that included three RBI, a double and stolen base. Ohio State (4/13): Went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a grand slam home run and stolen base. at Maryland (4/27): Sparked the PSU offense in the sweep-securing Sunday win over the Terrapins, going 1-for-2 with a three-run homer, two runs scored and a pair of walks. B1G Tournament First Round vs. Iowa (5/7): Propelled Penn State to a postseason-opening win over the Hawkeyes with a pair of extra-base hits coming in the form of a triple and home run, finishing 2-for-4 with three RBI in the win.
2024 • FRESHMAN SEASON
Season: Was a consistent contributor to the Nittany Lion lineup at the plate, in the field and on the basepath, making 48 appearances with 33 starts in her inaugural season at PSU… Tallied 22 hits, including eight for extra bases split between four doubles and four home runs… Drove in 10 RBI and scored 18 runs on the year… Recorded five stolen bases, the fourth-most on the team… Was one of five Nittany Lions with a 1.000 fielding percentage, logging 55 putouts with one assist.
vs. Marshall (2/9): Made her collegiate debut as a pinch runner, recording a stolen base on her first-ever attempt. vs. Ohio (2/10): Logged her first collegiate hit, extra-base hit and RBI in one swing in PSU’s third-straight win on opening weekend. vs. Penn (2/25): Mustered her first multi-hit outing, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Indiana (3/24): Cranked her first career home run against the Hoosiers, marking her first hit against a Big Ten Conference opponent. Maryland (3/30): Set a season-high in the field with six putouts. at Ohio State (4/16): Secured her first collegiate outfield assist throwing out a potential game-winning runner in the bottom of the seventh. at Rutgers (5/4): Matched the Nittany Lion single-game home run record with a pair of long balls in the regular season finale. NCAA Regional vs. UAlbany (5/18): Launched an opposite-field home run off the right field foul pole, a two-run blast that gave PSU an early lead in its NCAA Tournament elimination game.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Lake Park High School in Roselle, Illinois… Garnered a trio of All-State selections in addition to three placements on the All-Conference team... Named the Daily Herald All-Area Player of the Year and All-Area Team Captain in the 2022 and 2023 seasons in addition to landing Daily Herald All-Area Team laurels in each season from 2021 to 2023... Landed DuKane Conference Player of the Year distinction in back-to-back years (2022, 2023)... Finished as runner-up for the DuKane Conference Player of the Year award in 2021... Was a two-time All-Conference and All-State performer in basketball as well as a three-time all-conference selection in volleyball during her high school career... Played club softball with Beverly Bandits under the direction of coaches Bill Conroy, Mike Johnson, Cray Allen and Rex Mack… Brought home an Easton Rawlings Championship title in 2022, an IDT Championship in 2022 in addition to finishing as Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) National Runner-Up in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023.
PERSONAL
A native of Itasca, Illinois, Michela is the youngest daughter of Jackie and Mike Barbanente… She has one sister, Cassi, who is three years her senior and is also a fellow student-athlete at Penn State on the women’s gymnastics team pursuing her MBA from the Smeal College of Business… Her mom, Jackie, competed as a softball player at Loyola Chicago... While a student at Lake Park High School, she earned the Spirit of Excellence award and participated in the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society... Led her high school’s student spirit organization in addition to coaching youth softball in her spare time... At PSU, she is involved in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and volunteers with multiple charitable organizations in Central Pennsylvania... Barbanente expects to graduate in the spring of 2027 from the Penn State Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications with a degree in Broadcast Journalism coupled with a minor in Spanish... Hopes to leverage that degree into a career in sports television and journalism as a sideline reporter… Is currently shadowing Penn State B1G+ student U ... In her free time, she enjoys playing basketball, volleyball and pickleball, in addition to traveling and spending time with family.