Six softball players from the Big 12 have been named to national top 25 player of the year award lists. Kansas’ Ella Boyer and Utah’s Mia Gomez were recognized by NFCA as two of the nation’s top 25 freshmen, while Arizona’s Sydney Stewart, Oklahoma State’s Ruby Meylan and the Texas Tech duo of NiJaree Canady and Kaitlyn Terry were announced as the top 25 finalists for USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year.
Boyer became the second Jayhawk in program history to earn a selection to the NFCA DI National Freshman of the Year Top 25 list. She leads the KU program with 53 RBIs and set the KU freshman record for home runs with 17.
Gomez marks the third Ute freshman to earn a selection to the NFCA list, since it first began in 2014. The Moorpark, California native, leads the Utah program in multiple categories, including batting average, RBIs and slugging, making an appearance in every game this season.
Stewart leads the Conference in RBIs, runs per game and slugging percentage, while ranking nationally in the top 10 in those statistic categories. The catcher was recently recognized as the Big 12 Player of the Week after posting a perfect OPS (5.000). This is her first selection to the list and is the second consecutive Wildcat to earn a top 25 selection.
Meylan becomes the third Cowgirl pitcher in four seasons to make USA Softball’s Top 25 finalist list. The senior has earned 23 wins this season, which includes eight against top-25 teams. She has won each of her last 16 decisions to hold the nation’s longest active streak, while she has posted a 2.20 ERA and has 177 strikeouts this season. Meylan earned Big 12 and national recognition as the nation's best pitcher for her performance during week 12.
Canady, who finished as a top-three finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year last season, has tallied a 20-3 record in the circle for the Red Raiders. The senior reached the 1,000-strikeout milestone this season and is the only active player in the nation to have at least 95 career wins and 1,000 strikeouts. She owns a 1.38 ERA this season and has held her opponents to a .139 batting average when facing her. This is Canady’s fourth time earning a selection to the list.
Terry rounds out the league’s representation in the top 25 lists. The two-way player leads TTU with a .489 batting average, while she has recorded a 1.48 ERA in 104 innings. She also has earned 20 wins in the circle, making her and Canady the first TTU duo to both have 20 wins in program history. This is her first time earning a selection to the top 25 list.
The top three finalists of the NFCA DI National Freshman of the Year will be announced May 20, while the top three finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be announced on May 18. The winner of both awards will be announced before the start of the Women’s College World Series.