2025 • JUNIOR SEASON
Awards: Named an Academic All-Big Ten Conference selection in the postseason.
Season: Turned in her most prolific collegiate season in 2025, appearing in 49 games with 49 starts, predominately in center field… Hit to the tune of a .282 batting average, amassing 31 hits with eight of those going for extra bases… Totaled five doubles as well as her first trio of collegiate home runs in 2025… Finished with 26 runs scored and 13 RBI in her junior year… Drew seven walks and added a trio of sacrifice hits… Went 4-for-5 in stolen base opportunities… Impressed on the defensive end, totaling a career-best .973 fielding percentage with 69 putouts and three assists.
vs. Texas Tech (2/7): Impressed on opening day of the 2025 season, booking a 2-for-3 performance with a run scored and an RBI. vs. St. John’s (2/15): Helped guide the Blue & White to a shutout win over the Red Storm, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored while matching a season high in putouts with four. vs. Robert Morris (2/28): Was perfect at the plate for PSU, going 2-for-2 with a run scored courtesy of her first collegiate home run, also adding three RBI. Fairfield (3/7): Helped steer the Nittany Lions to a historic offensive performance against the Stags, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a double, home run and trio of runs batted in. Lafayette (3/9): Dominated with a 3-for-3 performance at the dish that included a double and RBI. Saint Francis (4/9): Went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in her final multi-hit outing of the year.
2024 • SOPHOMORE SEASON
Awards: Landed Academic All-Big Ten honors in the postseason.
Season: Continued her development with the Nittany Lion coaching staff and had an improved sophomore outing, registering career bests in games played (35), at-bats (15), runs scored (nine), hits (five), total bases (five), RBI (one), walks drawn (one) and stolen bases (two)… Hit and slugged at a .333 clip with a .412 on-base percentage overall… Booked a .933 fielding percentage with 14 putouts.
vs. Ohio (2/10): Tallied the first hit of her collegiate career in a pinch-hitting opportunity, notching her first collegiate RBI in the process. Bucknell (3/26): Had the first multi-hit performance since arriving in Happy Valley, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles. at Wisconsin (4/21): Booked a Big Ten run scored on the road against the Badgers. Michigan (4/27): Had a single as well as a season-high three putouts.
2023 • FRESHMAN SEASON
Season: Made 12 appearances in her collegiate debut season, predominately as a pinch runner and reserve outfielder…Tallied six runs for the Blue & White and added a pair of stolen bases.
vs. Memphis (2/19):Scored her first collegiate run, opening a streak of three-straight games with a run scored. vs. Delaware (3/4): Was 1-for-1 in stolen base attempts, the first swipe of her career…Added a run scored in the game…Notched her first collegiate putout in the field. vs. Illinois (4/29): Logged her second stolen base in the first game of the doubleheader…Scored one run apiece in each game of the twin-bill.
HIGH SCHOOL
Played high school softball at Tesoro High School in Orange County, California... Helped lead her team to league championships in 2019, 2021 and 2022... Nelson and the 2022 squad finished as CIF State Division 3 Finalists and Division 2 Semifinalists... Earned Scholar-Athlete distinction in her senior year... Landed Second Team All-League honors, as well as an Orange County Senior All-Star Game selection in her 2022 senior season... Named Offensive Player of the Year in 2021... Garnered First Team All-League and Scholar Athlete accolades at the conclusion of the 2021 season... Picked up the Who’s Next Scholarship Award… Played five years of travel softball with American Athletics (2017-18), SoCal Athletics Briggs (2019-21) and BSC Briggs Bengals (2021-22)... Learned under the tutelage of Ken and Roseann Brigs for her final four years of travel ball.
PERSONAL
Born in the fall of 2003 in Las Flores, California, Jenna Nelson is the eldest child and only daughter of Diane and Todd Nelson... She has one younger brother, named Todd... Her mother, Diane, played collegiate softball at Rutgers from 1989 to 1993... Expects to graduate from the Penn State Smeal College of Business in the spring of 2026 with a degree in marketing... Hopes to become a real estate agent at the conclusion of her collegiate softball career... In her spare time, she enjoys going to the beach, traveling and hanging out with friends and family.