Penn State softball garnered a quartet of placements on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Northeast Region Teams, with three student-athletes landing second team laurels and an additional performer securing third team accolades in the organization’s release on Thursday afternoon.
Senior third baseman Maddie Gordon, sophomore designated player Brooke Klosowicz and fifth-year first baseman Meagan Ricks landed second team honors, while senior right fielder Haylie Brunson turned in a third team appointment following the NFCA’s announcement. Four NFCA All-Region match a single-season program record set during the Nittany Lions’ Atlantic 10 Conference championship season in 1985, with Carol Fultz, Pam Mowery, Geri Saya and Nan Sichler securing those accolades. PSU also booked its first NFCA All-Northeast Region accolade since 1991, with the Blue & White reassigned to the Northeast region after more than 30 years in the NFCA’s Great Lakes Region alongside many of the program’s longtime Big Ten counterparts.
Klosowicz, a Johnsburg, Illinois native, delivered a historic individual season for the Nittany Lions, etching her name in the Penn State record books. In just her second year, she posted a .422 batting average, the fourth-highest single-season mark in program history, and set multiple single-season records. Klosowicz now holds Penn State’s records for both doubles (23) and RBI (53) in a season. She also became just the third player in school history to score at least 50 runs in a single season, joining Cassidy Bell (55 in 2013) and Macy Jones (53 in 2016). Starting all 52 games, she tallied 65 hits, 38 of which went for extra bases, including a team-high-tying 13 home runs. Klosowicz was named to the All-Region Second Team, becoming the 16th Nittany Lion to earn that honor and the program’s 49th All-Region selection since the differentiation between teams began in 1995.
Ricks, hailing from Winter Haven, Florida, made a major impact in her lone season at Penn State, leading the team with a .400 batting average in Big Ten play. Across 51 appearances and 49 starts, she hit .359 overall, with 20 extra-base hits including 12 doubles and a career-high eight home runs. Her season-long OPS of 1.065 ranked third on the team, trailing only Klosowicz and Gordon. On the basepaths, Ricks led PSU with 11 stolen bases. Her standout season earned her a spot on the All-Region Second Team, making her the 50th All-Region selection in program history and the 17th to land Second Team honors.
Gordon, a Shenandoah, Virginia native, became the first Nittany Lion to earn multiple All-Region honors since program legend Bailey Parshall did so in 2022 and 2023. A four-year veteran, Gordon secured her second straight All-Region Second Team selection after earning her first in 2024. Her 12 home runs in 2025 ranked third on the team behind Klosowicz and Brunson and tied for 10th in PSU single-season history. Gordon batted .342 for the year and posted a 1.122 OPS, second only to Klosowicz. She finished her career with 28 home runs, the fourth-most ever by a Penn State player. She also earned her place in school history with the 51st All-Region season and became the 18th Nittany Lion named to the All-Region Second Team.
Brunson, from Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, delivered the best season of her collegiate career in 2025, earning her first All-Region selection after four years between Pittsburgh and Penn State. She was one of the most consistent offensive performers in PSU’s record-setting lineup, finishing with a .345 batting average to rank fourth among qualified hitters. Her 13 home runs tied with Klosowicz for the team lead, and she compiled a 1.049 OPS as well. Brunson also recorded 49 RBI, matching the second-highest single-season total in program history behind Klosowicz’ record. She rounded out Penn State’s All-Region honorees to become the program’s 52nd All-Region selection overall and fifth to receive Third Team recognition since 1995.
Penn State completed its 60th anniversary season in 2025, with the Nittany Lions booking an appearance into the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Conference Softball Tournament. PSU finished the year with 25 total victories and shattered multiple single-season program records including batting average, home runs, RBI, runs scored and total bases. The Blue & White also mustered the program’s 16th all-time victory in the Big Ten Tournament with a 6-2 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in the first round of the 2025 event, securing its first Big Ten Tournament opening-round win since the 2023 campaign and third opening-round victory in the last four years. The Nittany Lions secured a quartet of All-Big Ten Second Team honorees and one selection to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team in the league’s postseason release, garnering a wide array of accolades following PSU’s record-breaking season.
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