In two seasons of high school softball, Northwestern’s Emma Freeman has established herself as a dominate force.

After bursting onto the scene a year ago as a freshman when she pitched over 100 innings and finished the year with a 1.03 ERA, Freeman and the Tigers were even more impressive this season.

In the circle, Freeman topped the 150-inning mark, struck out 183 hitters, won 19 games and had a 1.79 ERA.

Those numbers alone deserve accolades, but when you add in her .453 batting average and 25 RBIs, it’s easy to see why Freeman took the area by storm in 2024.

Her contributions both as a pitcher and a hitter were a huge reason why Northwestern won the Colonial League championship, placed second in Class 4A in District 11, and came within one victory of playing for a PIAA state championship.

They are also the reason Freeman was named the Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Softball Player of the Year.

One of the characteristics Freeman possesses that helps her success is her poise. No matter how big the game gets or what goes on around her, she has shown poise.

It was something on display time-and-time again during Northwestern’s postseason run as no moment appeared too big for her. But that should be no surprise to anyone who saw Freeman handle plenty of big games without flinching a year ago as a freshman.

“Last season it didn’t really bother me to pitch in big games or face really good opponents,” said Freeman. “The experience helped me this season because it gave me even more confidence since I had been in those spots before and knew I could handle them and that our team could handle them.

“Having so many great players around me on the field - who saved my butt plenty of times - allowed me to pitch with so much confidence. Because I knew that I could rely on them to be there.”

What may have helped her more than the early experience was the friendship that she has developed with teammate Abby Dunstan. The pair have played together for years and built a great relationship both on and off the field with Dunstan serving as Freeman’s catcher much of that time.

Throughout the season, Dunstan would talk about how much she loves catching Freeman, and how easy it can be because of Freeman’s command and the fact that the pair know each other so well and are on the same page.

“We are definitely best friends outside of school, and that grew a lot because we played together and she has been catching me so much,” said Freeman. “She’s great as a catcher because she plays so well, but also because she probably has one of the loudest voices on the field and she takes command like a catcher has to do. She’s always in charge out there.”

Freeman’s success in the circle didn’t end with the conclusion of her high school season as she followed it up by playing in the Carpenter Cup tournament in Philadelphia. The tournament matches all-star teams of high school players from around southeastern PA and down to the Jersey Shore and is played at FDR Park in Philadelphia.

Freeman represented the Lehigh Valley team, which went on to become Carpenter Cup champions. Freeman threw eight innings without allowing an earned run while recording five strikeouts in the prestigious tournament.

With a busy last few months of softball now behind her, Freeman has already started thinking about next spring - and she’s excited about the prospects for a Northwestern team that loses just two players – Sage Toman and Izzy Akelaitis.

While those losses were huge as Toman and Akelaitis played third base and shortstop, respectively, and hit second and third in the lineup, Freeman said the confidence the Tigers gained the past two seasons has prepared them to overcome the losses and make another strong run in 2025.

“We might move a couple players around, but we have a lot of players who can play more than one position, and we all believe we can find a way to fill those holes.

“We’re all going to miss both of them because they are so much fun and were so important to the team, but we’ll find a way to fill the holes and keep going just like we had to do coming into 2024.”

Freeman will reach some personal milestones next season as she’ll enter with 298 career strikeouts. If she equals her strikeout numbers from this past season, she should close in on the 500-strikeout milestone in just her junior season.

It all means that 2025 could be a big season for both Freeman and Northwestern.