OKLAHOMA CITY — USA Softball has announced the remaining Top 10 Finalists in the running for the 2025 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 throughout the entire season.
Click here to view the Top 10 Finalists for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year »
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, 2019), Jocelyn Alo (Oklahoma – 2021, 2022), Valerie Cagle (2023) and most recently, NiJaree Canady (2024).
Highlighted by five pitchers – three of which also contribute offensively – and five position players, the Top 10 Finalists include one fifth-year student, three seniors, five juniors, and one sophomore representing 10 NCAA Division I universities across four athletic conferences. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Big Ten each have three schools represented, while the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Big 12 Conference are featured with two schools apiece. The universities represented in this list are Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas Tech, UCLA, and Virginia Tech, with each having one athlete recognized.
| Name | College | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jordy Bahl | Nebraska | RHP/UTL | Jr. |
| NiJaree Canady | Texas Tech | P | Jr. |
| Bri Ellis | Arkansas | 1B | Sr. |
| Kendra Falby | Florida | OF | Sr. |
| Lyndsey Grein | Oregon | P | Jr. |
| Cori McMillan | Virginia Tech | OF | Sr. |
| Devyn Netz | Arizona | P/INF | 5th Yr. |
| Karlyn Pickens | Tennessee | P | Jr |
| Isa Torres | Florida State | SS | So. |
| Jordan Woolery | UCLA | 3B | Jr. |
The Top 10 Finalists will be narrowed down to three athletes on May 19, followed by the announcement of the 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series, which is scheduled to take May 29 – June 6 at the Softball Capital of the World®.
Paired with the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, USA Softball is also in its 23rd 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.