OKLAHOMA CITY— USA Softball announced today the Top 25 Finalists for the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Recognizing outstanding athletic achievement over the course of the entire season, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award is considered the most esteemed individual honor in Division I collegiate softball.
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| Athlete | School | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Jordy Bahl | Oklahoma | Pitcher |
| Kayla Beaver | Central Arkansas | Pitcher |
| Rachel Becker | Oklahoma State | Infield |
| Maya Brady | UCLA | Utility |
| Valerie Cagle | Clemson | Pitcher/Utility |
| Nijaree Canady | Stanford | Pitcher |
| Erin Coffel | Kentucky | Infield |
| Jayda Coleman | Oklahoma | Outfield |
| Megan Faraimo | UCLA | Pitcher |
| Montana Fouts | Alabama | Pitcher |
| Alex Honnold | Missouri | Outfield |
| Tiare Jennings | Oklahoma | Infield |
| Taryn Kern | Indiana | Infield |
| Baylee Klingler | Washington | Infield |
| Kayla Kowalik | Kentucky | Catcher |
| Kelly Maxwell | Oklahoma State | Pitcher |
| Nicole May | Oklahoma | Pitcher |
| Sydney McKinney | Wichita State | Infield |
| Kiki Milloy | Tennessee | Outfield |
| Maddie Penta | Auburn | Pitcher |
| Ashley Rogers | Tennessee | Pitcher |
| Kathryn Sandercock | Florida State | Pitcher |
| Alex Storako | Oklahoma | Pitcher |
| Alana Vawter | Stanford | Pitcher |
| Skylar Wallace | Florida | Infield |
Previous winners of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year include Stacey Nuveman (UCLA – 2002), Cat Osterman (Texas – 2003, 2005, 2006), Jessica Van der Linden (Florida State – 2004), Monica Abbott (Tennessee – 2007), Angela Tincher (Virginia Tech – 2008), Danielle Lawrie (Washington – 2009, 2010), Ashley Hansen (Stanford – 2011), Keilani Ricketts (Oklahoma – 2012, 2013), Lacey Waldrop (Florida State – 2014), Lauren Haeger (Florida – 2015), Sierra Romero (Michigan – 2016), Kelly Barnhill (Florida – 2017), Rachel Garcia (UCLA, 2018 and 2019) and Jocelyn Alo (Oklahoma – 2021, 2022).
Highlighting the 2023 Top 25 Finalists are four fifth-year/graduate students, eight seniors, 10 juniors, one sophomore and two freshman spread across 16 NCAA Division I universities and seven athletic conferences. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) leads in representation with six member-schools, followed by the Pac-12 with three, American Coast Conference (ACC) and Big 12 with two apiece, and the American Athletic Conference (AAC), ASUN and Big 10 each with one. The No. 1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners tabbed five athletes to the list, while Kentucky, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Tennessee and UCLA are each highlighted by two followed by Alabama, Auburn, Central Arkansas, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Missouri, Washington and Wichita State with one athlete on the list. The Finalists display a wide variety of talent, consisting of 12 position players and 13 pitchers – three of which also shine offensively.
The Top 25 Finalists will be narrowed down to 10 athletes on May 3, followed by the Top 3 Finalists set to be released on May 17. The 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed prior to the Women’s College World Series, which is scheduled to take place June 1-9 at the Softball Capital of the World®.
Paired with the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, USA Softball is also in its 21st season of presenting the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, which is released every Tuesday throughout the regular season. Follow along with Division I NCAA Softball all season long at USASoftball.com.
