Michael Ference completed his ninth year as the assistant softball coach during the 2024 season. The team has won the NEAC Championship and went to the NCAA Tournament in three of the six years that he has helped out. In that time, the softball program has an overall record of 136-45-1 and has gone 87-3 in conference play.
In the 2021 season, Berks finished with a record of 17-4 overall. The regular season consisted of only games against NEAC opponents due to safety precautions with the global pandemic. In those contests, the Nittany Lions finished 16-2 and were regular season champions. Berks won the first game of a three-game series with Penn State Harrisburg, but the visitors won a pair of extra inning contests to eliminate Berks in the semifinal round of the conference tournament. Ference received the NEAC Coach of the Year award for the fifth time, Susan Duncan was named NEAC Player of the Year, and Briana Smith was selected as the NEAC Pitcher of the Year. Duncan, Briana Smith, Bri Smith, and Arizona Shreck garnered All-NEAC First Team honors, while Hunter Hart was a second team recipient.
The Nittany Lions went 1-7 on in a shortened 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2019 team finished 32-10 overall and went 18-0 in the NEAC. The team hosted the postseason conference tournament and won the NEAC Crown for the sixth time in seven years. The 2019 team opened up the NCAA Tournament with a thrilling 5-3 victory over Brandeis University, before dropping the next two games. This marked the third straight year that the softball team won a game at the NCAA Regional. The squad reeled off a 24-game winning streak, that spanned the end of March and into the NCAA Tournament. This year's team held the program record for at-bats, doubles, hit by pitch, games played, and innings pitched. They ranked second in school history for hits, ERA, batting average against, and wins, while ranking third in batting average, strikeouts, complete games, and shutouts. Head coach Donna Ference was again named NEAC Coach of the Year and senior standout Jess Rozick was named NEAC Pitcher of the Year. Rozick, Brianna Smith, and Val Miller were named to the All-NEAC First Team, while Hunter Hart was a second team selection and Maddy Davidson earned third team honors. Rozick was an NFCA All-Region Second Team recipient and Brianna Smith was named to the third team. For the second straight year, Smith was named the NEAC Tournament MVP.
In the 2018 season, the Nittany Lions finished 25-10 overall and had a 14-0 mark against conference opponents. The team hosted the NEAC Tournament and fell into the consolation bracket after going 1-1 on the first day. The team then battled back and won three games on championship Saturday to win the NEAC Championship title for the second straight season and fifth time in six years. At the NCAA Tournament, Berks defeated No. 23 ranked Rowan University, 3-2 in the opener. They then dropped a game to No. 5 ranked Randolph-Macon and an elimination game to Rowan. Standout pitcher Jess Rozick was an NFCA All-Region Second Team selection, as well as being named NEAC Pitcher of the Year and NEAC Player of the Year. Rozick also earned a spot on the All-NEAC First Team, where she was joined by Hunter Hart. Becca Faust, Brianna Smith, and Val Miller were named to the second team and Ashley Malek landed on the third team. Brianna Smith was named the NEAC Tournament MVP after batting .684 (13-for-19) with two doubles, one triple, one home run, six runs scored and eight RBI.
The Nittany Lions enjoyed a breakthrough season on the national level in 2017. The team finished 29-9 overall and went 19-1 in the conference. They cruised through the NEAC Tournament to earn their fourth trip in five years to the NCAA Tournament. At the NCAA Regional, the Nittany Lions dropped a 3-0 heartbreaker to Ithaca College, before bouncing back with the first-ever win at the NCAA Tournament in program-history. Berks came to bat in the bottom of the seventh tied 4-4 with Susquehanna University, when Ashley Malek smacked a two-out solo home run for the walk off win. The team saw its magical season come to an end with a 5-3 setback to Ithaca. Head coach Donna Ference was named the NEAC Coach of the Year for the third time in her career. The team had an NFCA All-American Second Team selection (Jenna Heffner) and two NFCAÂ All-Region First Team recipients (Heffner, Jessica Rozick). The 2017 squad had the NEAC Player of the Year (Heffner), Pitcher of the Year (Rozick), three All-NEAC First Team, and two All-NEAC Second Team honorees.
The 2016 softball team finished with an overall record of 32-5 and finished as the runner-up in the conference tournament. In the regular season, the Nittany Lions went 20-0 in conference play, marking the first time the program went undefeated through the regular season. It was just the second year that the Nittany Lions finished with 30 or more wins and the team had a program-best 25 game winning streak throughout the season. The Nittany Lions had two players earn NFCA All-Region honors (Jenna Heffner and Jess Rozick), the NEAC Player of the Year (Heffner), NEAC Pitcher of the Year (Rozick), and six all-conference selections.
