Mckinley Malecha Season 2025

Honors & Awards

• Team Captain (2024)
• Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (2024)
• Academic All-Big Ten (2023, 2024)
• Nebraska Academic Bronze Medallion (2023)
• Six-Time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll Member
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2022, 2023, 2024) 
• SAAC Representative (2024-25)

Junior Season (2024) 

• Served as one of four team captains
• Played in 30 games with four starts
• Started one game at catcher and three games at first base
• Scored a career-high 13 runs and had the first two hits of her career
• Made her season debut as a pinch runner against Long Beach State
• Started at catcher at New Mexico State and had her first career RBI
• Scored the first run of her career as a pinch runner vs. Sacramento State
• Scored a run as a pinch runner vs. No. 19 UCLA
• Scored another run as a pinch runner against No. 20 Utah
• Scored in her fourth straight pinch-running appearance vs. No. 14 Missouri
• Scored as a pinch runner against Northern Colorado on March 12
• Made her first career start at first base against Maine
• Went 1-for-2 with her first career hit against Maine
• Had a career-high two RBIs against the Black Bears
• Had a hit in a start at first base against Northern Colorado on March 14
• Drove in a run against North Dakota the next day
• Scored a run as a pinch runner in game two against Penn State
• Came in to catch in game one at Rutgers
• Scored a run as a pinch runner in game two and three at Rutgers
• Scored a run as a pinch runner in game three at Michigan
• Scored as a pinch runner against Minnesota at the Big Ten Tournament

Sophomore Season (2023) 

• Started three games as the catcher and appeared in seven games 
• Made her first career start as a Husker behind the plate against South Dakota State (2/10/23) 
• Was the starting catcher against No. 8 Virginia Tech at the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational 
• Started as the catcher in the win over CSU Bakersfield (Feb. 25) 
• Came in as the catcher in the win over Kansas City 
• Went in as the catcher in game one against Michigan 

Freshman Season (2022) 

• Appeared in the game against Northern Colorado as a pinch runner 

Before Nebraska (Lakeville North HS)

• Nebraska's first player from Minnesota since All-American Anne Steffan, who competed for the Huskers from 2002-2005
• All-state catcher from Lakeville North
• Served as the team captain her sophomore, junior and senior seasons 
• Had her junior season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic 
• One of 22 players from her class statewide voted for a series of Minnesota High School all-star games
• Played club ball with Midwest Speed, claiming the 18U USSSA Nationals Championship in 2020 
• Varsity starter at Lakeville North High School as an eighth grader
• Newcomer of the Year at Lakeville North as an eighth grader
• Three-Time All-Conference selection 
• Three-Time All-Region selection 
• Minneapolis Tribune All-Metro Selection 
• Minnesota Coaches Association All-State selection 
• Academic All-State selection 
• Helped Lakeville North to Class 4AAAA State Tournament appearances in 2018 and 2021 
• Was a member of the National Honor Society
• Graduated summa cum laude 

Personal

• Born on Nov. 16, 2002 
• Majoring in management and marketing
• Daughter of Brian and Jennifer Malecha 
• Has three siblings, Madison, Mason and Morgan