Six Penn State Altoona softball student-athletes earn AMCC honors

LATROBE, Pa. — A total of six Penn State Altoona softball student-athletes earned All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference recognition on May 12 when the league office released its postseason awards in the sport.

Headlining the All-AMCC honors was outfielder Riley Best, of Coalport, who was voted the league’s Player of the Year while also being a first-team all-conference pick. Joining Best on the first team was shortstop Karli Storm, of Chest Springs, while right-handed pitcher Josselyn Nau, of Bellefonte, second baseman Lauren Davidson, of Clearfield, and utility player Gracie Wilt, of Altoona, were second-team selections, and Madison Kennedy, of Williamsburg, earned third-team recognition at two different positions, pitcher and designated player.

Best had a sensational first season with the Penn State Altoona softball team while playing in all 40 games. Through the conference postseason, she led the AMCC in hits (59), home runs (10), runs batted in (61), total bases (106), and slugging percentage (.869) while also ranking second in batting average (.484) and on-base percentage (.552), third in runs scored (44), fifth in walks (19), sixth in triples (3), eighth in doubles (11), and ninth in sacrifice flies (2). During the season, Best picked up two AMCC Player of the Week awards, receiving the recognition on March 9 and March 16. In addition to her hitting prowess, Best contributed 43 2/3 innings in the pitching circle, going 5-1 with a 2.89 earned run average and 27 strikeouts. She made 12 appearances and had the second-best WHIP (1.19) of any qualifying pitcher in the AMCC and limited opponents to a .229 batting average.

Storm played in all 40 games during an impressive campaign. In the AMCC, she ranked first in on-base percentage (.559) and walks (39), second in runs scored (48) and home runs (7), third in RBI (34), total bases (82), and sacrifice flies (3), fourth in slugging percentage (.752), seventh in doubles (12), ninth in batting average (.413), and 10th in hits (45) and triples (2). In the field, Storm led the AMCC in assists (98) and double plays turned (14). During the season, she earned AMCC Player of the Week honors on March 2.

Nau remained one of the top pitchers in the conference, making 22 starts and appearing 25 times in the circle. The right-hander led the AMCC in starts (22), complete games (18), shutouts (3), and innings pitched (129) while ranking second in wins (11), third in appearances (25), fourth in earned run average (3.04), fifth in WHIP (1.36) and saves (1), seventh in strikeouts (42), and 11th in opponent batting average (.298). Nau was a three-time AMCC Pitcher of the Week this spring, receiving the recognition on March 2, March 9, and March 30.

Davidson played in 35 games during the season with Penn State Altoona. Among all AMCC hitters, she ranked third in sacrifice flies (3), ninth in walks (17), 18th in sacrifice hits (2), 20th in triples (1), 31st in RBI (19), 33rd in on-base percentage (.393), and 40th in runs scored (16). Versus AMCC competition, Davidson’s batting average jumped to .425, and she posted a .480 on-base percentage and a .425 slugging percentage against conference opponents. With the glove, she was tied for 12th in the conference in assists (43) and was 26th in fielding percentage (.969).

Wilt, in her first year with the Lions, played in all 40 games. She ranked fourth in the conference in runs scored (41), fifth in stolen bases (22) and sacrifice hits (5), 10th in triples (2), 16th in walks (14), 17th in hits (39), 25th in total bases (47), 39th in doubles (4) and slugging percentage (.367), 40th in RBI (15), 41st in batting average (.305), and 43rd in on-base percentage (.371). Wilt was also tied for 12th in the AMCC in assists (43).

Kennedy played in all 40 games this season and earned third-team all-conference honors at both pitcher and designated player. In the pitching circle this spring, the right-hander was fifth in the AMCC in wins (5) while also being seventh in earned run average (4.66) and WHIP (1.81), eighth in innings pitched (70 2/3), 11th in appearances (19), 13th in complete games (2) and opponent batting average (.308), 15th in games started (9), and 18th in strikeouts (21). With the bat, Kennedy was fourth in the conference in hits (56), fifth in batting average (.438), seventh in home runs (3), RBI (30), and total bases (75), eighth in on-base percentage (.475) and slugging percentage (.586), ninth in sacrifice flies (2), 14th in doubles (8), and 15th in runs scored (29).

Penn State Altoona softball finished its 2026 season with a 24-16 overall record, including a 12-4 mark within the AMCC that placed the Lions second in the league by the conclusion of the regular season. The team went on to reach the AMCC Championship game on May 9 and finished as the conference tournament runner-up.