Pronunciation:Â NEET-oh
2026: Started all 50 games for Northwestern … Batted .310 (44-for-142) with 12 extra base hits and 17 RBI … Posted a career-high 41 walks, 8th-most in a single season for a Northwestern player … Reached base at a .470 clip, second-best on the team … Reached base in all five games at the Kajikawa Classic while hitting .500 (6-for-12) to go along with six RBI and a team-leading six runs scored (2/6-8) … Hit a leadoff home run in Northwestern’s first at-bat of the season and scored a career high three runs in a win over Toledo (2/6) … Recorded a career high four RBI and scored a run against Texas State (2/7) … Hit .333 (6-for-18) with a run batted in at the Shriners Children’s Invitational, including a two-hit performance in a win over Missouri (2/14) … Recorded two hits, including an RBI triple in a win over SEMO (2/21) … Went 6-for-14 with a team-leading .529 on-base percentage and four runs scored at the Duke Invitational, including a three-hit performance in a win over Ohio State (2/27-28) … Batted .444 (4-for-9) with three RBI, a double, and a home run in a three-game sweep of Illinois (3/20-22) … Reached base at a .692 (9-for-13) clip and scored seven runs in a weekend sweep at Penn State (4/10-12) … Posted a .545 (6-for-11) on-base percentage and hit a double during a three-game sweep of Michigan State (4/18-21) … Reached in all four at-bats and drove in a run in a win over Purdue (4/24) … Hit a double and an RBI single in a win over Minnesota (5/1).
2025: Started all 51 games as a senior … Finished with a .329 average, .801 OPS, and 21 RBI … Stole 15 bases without being caught, the second-highest mark in the Big Ten … Had three hits in three at bats in a win over Kennesaw State, her first game back after missing the 2024 season with an injury (2/7) … Hit a double in a victory over Southern Miss (2/9) … Collected five hits, stole a base, scored two runs, and drove in two RBI in a pair of wins over UT Arlington (2/15-16) … Led the team at the plate for a second straight weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic, hitting .455 (5-for-11) with four runs scored, a double, a homer, and two RBI (2/21-23) … Went 3-for-3 against Cal to match her single-game career high in hits with her third three-hit performance of the year. Led off the game against Cal with her first home run since April 23, 2022 against Indiana (2/23) … Batted .467 (7-for-15) with two RBI to open Big Ten play in four games against Penn State and Michigan State (3/13-16) … Picked up two singles in a win over Loyola Chicago (4/16) … Stole a base in three straight wins over Rutgers (4/18-20) … Batted .333 (4-for-12) with two doubles, a run batted in, and two runs scored in a weekend series win over Wisconsin (4/25-27) … Led the Wildcat offense with a .600 (6-for-10) batting average in a series win at UCLA while also chipping in two runs scored and a home run on the weekend (5/2-4).
2023: Started 28 games at second base ... Singled and drove in a run in the season-opener against South Alabama (2/10) ... Went 2-for-3 against No. 7 Clemson (2/18) ... Walked twice, scored two runs, and singled to help beat Notre Dame (2/19) ... Tallied three hits, two runs scored, a RBI and a stolen base in a win over No. 18 Kentucky (2/25) ... Tallied five hits in a double-header against Louisville and Northern Kentucky (3/4) ... Went 2-for-2 with a RBI and run scored in her return to the lineup from injury against Penn State (4/9) ... Singled, walked, drove in a run, and scored three times in a win over Nebraska (4/28).
2022: Started all 58 games at second base as a first-year ... Big Ten All-Freshman Team honoree ... Hit .324 (46-for-142) to become the first Northwestern first-year to hit over .300 since 2019 ... Started at second base in the opening game against UConn, drawing a walk and scoring a run (2/11) ... Recorded her first collegiate hit, a single, against Liberty (2/12) ... Went 3-for-3 against Eastern Kentucky (2/13) ... Walked twice against Texas Tech (2/18) ... Singled and scored a run against Clemson (2/19) ... Hit her first-career double and scored two runs against San Diego St. (2/25) ... Tallied her first two collegiate RBIs with a two-run single against Cal State Fullerton (2/26) ... Doubled against No. 5 Washington (2/26) ... Launched her first-career home run against Texas Tech (2/27) ... Went 2-for-3 against Northern Kentucky (3/4) ... Ripped a two-run double against Murray State (3/5) ... Walked four times and scored four runs in a double-header against Ball State and Northern Kentucky (3/6) ... Doubled, walked, and scored two runs against Michigan State (3/25) ... Went 2-for-2 with a stolen base against Michigan State (3/27) ... Roped a two-run single to help beat Ohio State (4/10) ... Went 5-for-9 with a double and home run in a series sweep of Indiana (4/22-24) ... Went 2-for-2 with a stolen base against UIC (4/26) ... Went 3-for-3 with a RBI and stolen base to help beat Iowa (4/29) ... Doubled twice to help beat Minnesota (5/8) ... Reached base twice and scored two runs to help beat Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals (5/13) ... Hit .714 (5-for-7) with three runs scored and two RBI in the Evanston Regional (5/20-23) ... Singled in the game one win of the Tempe Super Regional against Arizona State (5/27) ... Scored a run in game three to help the 'Cats win the Super Regional (5/29) ... Went 2-for-3 against UCLA in NU's final game of the WCWS (6/3).
Career Highs:
At-Bats....................5 (5x), last vs. Notre Dame (4/1/25)
Hits.........................3 (10x), last at Penn State (4/10/26)
Runs.........................3 (6x), last at Penn State (4/11/26)
RBI.........................................4, vs. Texas State (2/7/26)
Doubles....................................2, vs. Minnesota (5/8/22)
Home Runs.......................1 (8x), last at Illinois (3/22/26)
Total Bases..........................6 (2x), last at UCLA (5/2/25)
Walks.........................4 (2x), last at Penn State (4/11/26)
Stolen Bases…..........2 (3x), last at Penn State (4/11/26)
High School: Earned three varsity letters for softball at Mercy High School … Named to the All-Catholic Team her freshman and sophomore seasons … Named to the All-District Softball Team her sophomore season … Posted a batting average over .549 her freshman and sophomore seasons … Also earned a Varsity Letter in hockey as an assistant captain … Won a Division 1 Hockey State Championship … Ranked in FloSoftball's top 100 player rankings all three seasons … 2x Scholar Athlete and a member of the National Honor Society … Sister played softball at the University of Utah … Uncle attended Northwestern … Participated in travel softball for 11+ years, most recently as a part of the Beverly Bandits … Daughter of Dominic, former hockey player at Kent State, and Kelly Nieto.
Drohan on Nieto:Â "Grace is an excellent competitor who also comes from a very athletic family. She has a grittiness about her game that elevates the play of those around her. A great student and an even better teammate, she will elevate our program as soon as she steps on campus."
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2026: Started all 50 games for Northwestern … Batted .310 (44-for-142) with 12 extra base hits and 17 RBI … Posted a career-high 41 walks, 8th-most in a single season for a Northwestern player … Reached base at a .470 clip, second-best on the team … Reached base in all five games at the Kajikawa Classic while hitting .500 (6-for-12) to go along with six RBI and a team-leading six runs scored (2/6-8) … Hit a leadoff home run in Northwestern’s first at-bat of the season and scored a career high three runs in a win over Toledo (2/6) … Recorded a career high four RBI and scored a run against Texas State (2/7) … Hit .333 (6-for-18) with a run batted in at the Shriners Children’s Invitational, including a two-hit performance in a win over Missouri (2/14) … Recorded two hits, including an RBI triple in a win over SEMO (2/21) … Went 6-for-14 with a team-leading .529 on-base percentage and four runs scored at the Duke Invitational, including a three-hit performance in a win over Ohio State (2/27-28) … Batted .444 (4-for-9) with three RBI, a double, and a home run in a three-game sweep of Illinois (3/20-22) … Reached base at a .692 (9-for-13) clip and scored seven runs in a weekend sweep at Penn State (4/10-12) … Posted a .545 (6-for-11) on-base percentage and hit a double during a three-game sweep of Michigan State (4/18-21) … Reached in all four at-bats and drove in a run in a win over Purdue (4/24) … Hit a double and an RBI single in a win over Minnesota (5/1).
2025: Started all 51 games as a senior … Finished with a .329 average, .801 OPS, and 21 RBI … Stole 15 bases without being caught, the second-highest mark in the Big Ten … Had three hits in three at bats in a win over Kennesaw State, her first game back after missing the 2024 season with an injury (2/7) … Hit a double in a victory over Southern Miss (2/9) … Collected five hits, stole a base, scored two runs, and drove in two RBI in a pair of wins over UT Arlington (2/15-16) … Led the team at the plate for a second straight weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic, hitting .455 (5-for-11) with four runs scored, a double, a homer, and two RBI (2/21-23) … Went 3-for-3 against Cal to match her single-game career high in hits with her third three-hit performance of the year. Led off the game against Cal with her first home run since April 23, 2022 against Indiana (2/23) … Batted .467 (7-for-15) with two RBI to open Big Ten play in four games against Penn State and Michigan State (3/13-16) … Picked up two singles in a win over Loyola Chicago (4/16) … Stole a base in three straight wins over Rutgers (4/18-20) … Batted .333 (4-for-12) with two doubles, a run batted in, and two runs scored in a weekend series win over Wisconsin (4/25-27) … Led the Wildcat offense with a .600 (6-for-10) batting average in a series win at UCLA while also chipping in two runs scored and a home run on the weekend (5/2-4).
2023: Started 28 games at second base ... Singled and drove in a run in the season-opener against South Alabama (2/10) ... Went 2-for-3 against No. 7 Clemson (2/18) ... Walked twice, scored two runs, and singled to help beat Notre Dame (2/19) ... Tallied three hits, two runs scored, a RBI and a stolen base in a win over No. 18 Kentucky (2/25) ... Tallied five hits in a double-header against Louisville and Northern Kentucky (3/4) ... Went 2-for-2 with a RBI and run scored in her return to the lineup from injury against Penn State (4/9) ... Singled, walked, drove in a run, and scored three times in a win over Nebraska (4/28).
2022: Started all 58 games at second base as a first-year ... Big Ten All-Freshman Team honoree ... Hit .324 (46-for-142) to become the first Northwestern first-year to hit over .300 since 2019 ... Started at second base in the opening game against UConn, drawing a walk and scoring a run (2/11) ... Recorded her first collegiate hit, a single, against Liberty (2/12) ... Went 3-for-3 against Eastern Kentucky (2/13) ... Walked twice against Texas Tech (2/18) ... Singled and scored a run against Clemson (2/19) ... Hit her first-career double and scored two runs against San Diego St. (2/25) ... Tallied her first two collegiate RBIs with a two-run single against Cal State Fullerton (2/26) ... Doubled against No. 5 Washington (2/26) ... Launched her first-career home run against Texas Tech (2/27) ... Went 2-for-3 against Northern Kentucky (3/4) ... Ripped a two-run double against Murray State (3/5) ... Walked four times and scored four runs in a double-header against Ball State and Northern Kentucky (3/6) ... Doubled, walked, and scored two runs against Michigan State (3/25) ... Went 2-for-2 with a stolen base against Michigan State (3/27) ... Roped a two-run single to help beat Ohio State (4/10) ... Went 5-for-9 with a double and home run in a series sweep of Indiana (4/22-24) ... Went 2-for-2 with a stolen base against UIC (4/26) ... Went 3-for-3 with a RBI and stolen base to help beat Iowa (4/29) ... Doubled twice to help beat Minnesota (5/8) ... Reached base twice and scored two runs to help beat Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals (5/13) ... Hit .714 (5-for-7) with three runs scored and two RBI in the Evanston Regional (5/20-23) ... Singled in the game one win of the Tempe Super Regional against Arizona State (5/27) ... Scored a run in game three to help the 'Cats win the Super Regional (5/29) ... Went 2-for-3 against UCLA in NU's final game of the WCWS (6/3).
Career Highs:
At-Bats....................5 (5x), last vs. Notre Dame (4/1/25)
Hits.........................3 (10x), last at Penn State (4/10/26)
Runs.........................3 (6x), last at Penn State (4/11/26)
RBI.........................................4, vs. Texas State (2/7/26)
Doubles....................................2, vs. Minnesota (5/8/22)
Home Runs.......................1 (8x), last at Illinois (3/22/26)
Total Bases..........................6 (2x), last at UCLA (5/2/25)
Walks.........................4 (2x), last at Penn State (4/11/26)
Stolen Bases…..........2 (3x), last at Penn State (4/11/26)
High School: Earned three varsity letters for softball at Mercy High School … Named to the All-Catholic Team her freshman and sophomore seasons … Named to the All-District Softball Team her sophomore season … Posted a batting average over .549 her freshman and sophomore seasons … Also earned a Varsity Letter in hockey as an assistant captain … Won a Division 1 Hockey State Championship … Ranked in FloSoftball's top 100 player rankings all three seasons … 2x Scholar Athlete and a member of the National Honor Society … Sister played softball at the University of Utah … Uncle attended Northwestern … Participated in travel softball for 11+ years, most recently as a part of the Beverly Bandits … Daughter of Dominic, former hockey player at Kent State, and Kelly Nieto.
Drohan on Nieto:Â "Grace is an excellent competitor who also comes from a very athletic family. She has a grittiness about her game that elevates the play of those around her. A great student and an even better teammate, she will elevate our program as soon as she steps on campus."
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What's it like to be a freshman starting in the Women's College World Series?
— Northwestern Softball (@NUSBcats) August 11, 2022
Our own @gracenieto116 caught up with @SoftbalAmerica.
??: https://t.co/XsnLGfsMYI pic.twitter.com/JeGbU5epEc