OKLAHOMA CITY — USA Softball announced today the remaining Top 10 Finalists in the running for the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. Considered the most prestigious individual honor in Division I college softball, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award aims to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by Division I softball players over the course of the entire season.
| Player | School | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Jordy Bahl | Oklahoma | Pitcher |
| Maya Brady | UCLA | Utility |
| Valerie Cagle | Clemson | Pitcher/Utility |
| Jayda Coleman | Oklahoma | Outfield |
| Megan Faraimo | UCLA | Pitcher |
| Tiare Jennings | Oklahoma | Infield |
| Sydney McKinney | Wichita | Infield |
| Kiki Milloy | Tennessee | Outfield |
| Ashley Rogers | Tennessee | Pitcher |
| Skylar Wallace | Florida | Infield |
Previous recipients of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award 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, 2019) and Jocelyn Alo (Oklahoma – 2021, 2022).
Highlighted by four pitchers — two of which also contribute offensively — and six position players, the Top 10 Finalists include one graduate student, three seniors, five juniors, and one sophomore representing six NCAA Division I universities and five athletic conferences. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) leads in representation with two member schools, followed by the American Athletic Conference (AAC), Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big 12 Conference and Pac-12 Conference each with one school apiece. Tabbing three athletes to the list of Finalists is No. 1 ranked Oklahoma, while UCLA and Tennessee are each represented by two athletes, along with Clemson, Florida and Wichita State each with one athlete on the list.
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The Top-3 Finalists will be revealed on Wednesday, May 17, followed by the announcement of the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series slated for June 1-9 at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex.
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.
