ROSEMONT, Ill. – Penn State softball saw a trio of student-athletes garner preseason recognition from the Big Ten Conference office on Thursday afternoon, with junior utilities Michela Barbanente and Brooke Klosowicz, as well as junior infielder Kaylie Walters securing B1G Player to Watch accolades.

Hailing from Itasca, Illinois, Barbanente returns to Happy Valley after mustering 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. Barbanente booked a .284 batting average with an impressive .300 mark against Big Ten Conference competition while adding 14 extra-base knocks. She mashed eight home runs and finished fourth on PSU’s record-setting 2025 offense in terms of runs batted in with 36. Defensively, Barbanente finished the season with a .964 fielding percentage while racking up the fourth-most putouts (87) and third-most assists (47) on the roster.

Klosowicz returns to action following a breakout 2025 campaign that saw her shatter multiple Penn State single-season program records while spearheading one of the most dominant defenses in program history. The third-year star logged the fourth-highest batting average in a single season in program history and sits atop the career leaderboard in the statistic with a .380 mark during her stint in Happy Valley. The 2025 campaign for Klosowicz was highlighted by a single-season program-record 23-double campaign in addition to 13 home runs, the fourth-most in a single season in Happy Valley. Klosowicz also shattered PSU’s single-season RBI record in 2025, driving 53 runs in for the Nittany Lions in their record-setting offensive year.

Walters, a Philadelphia native, made an immediate impact for Penn State at the plate and in the infield after transferring to Happy Valley, becoming PSU’s only student-athlete to appear and start all 52 games at the same defensive position in 2025. She turned in the third-highest batting average on the roster last season with a .350 mark in that statistic, finishing with 52 hits and 34 runs scored. Walters led Penn State’s offense last season in walks with 24, booking an impressive .458 on-base percentage. She was also a menace on the basepath, totaling eight stolen bases as one of PSU’s predominant speed threats. Defensively, she anchored the PSU infield at the shortstop position, turning in a .943 fielding percentage with 87 putouts and a team-best 78 assists while taking part in turning eight double plays.

With Barbanente, Klosowicz and Walters leading the way, the Nittany Lions will kick off the 2026 campaign the weekend of Friday through Sunday, February 6 through 8, at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic. The Blue & White will challenge the Missouri Tigers, Boston College Eagles, Eastern Kentucky Colonels, BYU Cougars and Auburn Tigers from the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Florida, with first pitch just over one week away.