Freeport grad Ashleigh Schmidt 'goes out with a bang' at Penn State Behrend

Ashleigh Schmidt could have returned to Penn State Behrend next season, taking advantage of the NCAA allowing athletes an extra year of eligibility because of the covid pandemic.

But the Freeport graduate has a job waiting for her as a nurse at Children’s Hospital. Plus, it’d be hard to top what she accomplished this spring.

Schmidt was named Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Pitcher of the Year and led the Lions to their second straight league championship and second straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

“Quite the definition of going out with a bang,” Schmidt said.

“(Going to NCAAs) was super satisfying. We came up short, but we compete every year. We don’t get blown out of the water. We’re hanging with the teams that are there, and the teams in NCAAs are the best of the best. Being one of those 60-some teams is super special, and getting to finish with that is definitely something I’ll remember.

Schmidt went 11-6 with a 2.62 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 96¹⁄₃ innings this season for Penn State Behrend, which finished 23-15 overall and 14-2 in the conference. It came on the heels of a junior season in which she went 10-2 with a 2.38 ERA en route to second-team all-conference honors.

“She definitely exceeded all expectations, and that just goes to her character and work ethic,” Lions coach Ashley Gruber said.

“She became a pitcher we could rely on all season (this year). I think our team built confidence around that.”

Before Schmidt’s junior year in college, she never had been a full-time starting pitcher, including at Freeport and in travel ball. As a high school senior, she went 9-0 with a 1.21 ERA, but she pitched in relief. She made more of an impact as an infielder, hitting .472 as the leadoff batter in her senior season en route to first-team Valley News Dispatch All-Star honors.

“I ended up really falling in love with (pitching) and having a lot of fun with it because that was a new role for me, and I felt pretty comfortable with it from the start,” Schmidt said.

“I definitely liked the leadership role behind it. … Pitching, you kind of have to have that swag. You have to have that presence on the mound.”

Schmidt developed a six-pitch repertoire with the Lions: fastball, changeup, curveball, screwball, riseball and dropball. The best is the curveball.

“When it’s working, it’s working, and it gets batters to swing and miss like 60 or 70% of the time,” she said.

Schmidt said she’ll miss the competitiveness of softball but is excited about the next phase of her life. She’ll be part of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children’s. The job has a special meaning for Schmidt, who was born at 27 weeks and spent more than 50 days in the hospital.

“Children’s is kind of like coming full circle because I’ll be helping kids who were exactly like me,” she said.

“I couldn’t ask for anything more.”