HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall softball head coach Megan Smith Lyon announced the addition of Redshirt Junior Sydney nests, a right-handed mug from the state of North Carolina.
Nester played in a circle for the wolf pack for three seasons. She has a lot of experience pitching against top teams with 103 innings in her career against programs that are either placed in the top 25 or received votes. Nester has another two years to run.
“We are delighted to welcome Sydney to our Herd family,” said Smith Lyon coach. “She is an extremely talented pitcher who has proven herself a winner against elite competitions. We expect her to have a large and immediate impact on our program.”
“I picked Marshall because it was personal from the very first email from coach (Maddie) Holub,” said Nester. “I developed a relaxed, positive relationship with the coaches, and the university had the masters degree in communications I wanted to pursue. I was very impressed with the facilities and Marshall’s investment in the softball program and, more importantly, the team is “full of thugs. I am ready to do my part for Marshall Softball. “
While playing on the field, Nester completed her bachelor’s degree in sports management in just three years.
During those three seasons at NC State, Nester was already in the top 10 in several pitching categories. She is fourth in career strikeouts per seven innings (7.06), sixth in wins (31), sixth in strikeouts (344), seventh in career lowest opponent batting average (.227) and 10th in career ERA (3.32).
As a newcomer to 2019, Nester appeared in 37 games with 20 starts and ended with a 14-8 record. The Hillsville, Virginia native scored 152 strikeouts in 149.2 innings, good for fifth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. She was named ACC Pitcher of the Week on March 12, after allowing zero runs in four appearances with three starts and 40 strikeouts. Nester threw her first career no-hitter against the College of Charleston on March 9, going all seven innings and the top 15 strikeouts of her career.
In only her third college appearance, Nester went the distance with a 4-1 win over number 6 Arizona. She distributed seven hits over seven innings and knocked out five.
In the shortened 2020 season, the right-hander appeared in 17 games with 12 starts and ended with a 10-4 record. Nester was one of only two pitchers in the ACC who finished 2020 with double-digit wins. She finished 21st in the NCAA with 10 wins and 40th in strikeouts with 89. Nester was ranked the No. 39 pitcher in D1 Softball’s Top 100 Analytical Rankings. She was also ranked a # 87 player on SoftballAmerica’s Shortened Season Top 100 Players list as she topped the Wolfpack in almost every pitching category.
Nester scored in a complete game win against No. 21 Ole Miss eight strikeouts to open the 2020 season. She recorded two wins over (RV) Ohio State and had a top 10 of the season in an eight-inning win over Indiana. Nester closed the 2020 season with two more wins in full games against (RV) Notre Dame, which was just three runs and made a total of 13 strikeouts possible.
In 2021 she threw 105 innings and won seven more games. Nester led the team with 102 strikeouts and 29 appearances. She had nine strikeouts that season in just five innings against Gardner-Webb.
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