The 2026 Big 12 Softball yearly awards feature seven players earning individual awards, a First and Second Team honoring 36 selections, a 12-member All-Freshman Team and an All-Defensive Team. Season awards were voted on by the league’s head coaches, who were prohibited from voting for their own players. The Batting Champion award was solely based on batting average during league play.
Arizona’s Sydney Stewart claimed Player of the Year and the Batting Champion title, while teammate Regan Shockey was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Tayler Biehl rounded out the Wildcats’ individual honors, earning Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Kansas picked up two individual honors as Ella Boyer was unanimously selected as the league’s Freshman of the Year, while Hailey Cripe shared the yearly Defensive Player award.
Oklahoma State garnered one award as Ruby Meylan was named the Co-Pitcher of the Year.
Texas Tech also earned two individual awards as NiJaree Canady was named Co-Pitcher of the Year and Gerry Glasco collected Coach of the Year.
Stewart earns Arizona’s second consecutive Big 12 Player of the Year award and also picked up the Batting Champion title after hitting .490 during the Conference schedule. The catcher also led the league in OPS (1.969), slugging (1.314), RBIs (40) and home runs (13), playing in all 24 games for the Wildcats. Stewart was also named a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 First Team.
Shockey posted a 1.000 fielding percentage during Big 12 play, putting out or assisting on 54 total chances in 24 games. She has an overall .992 fielding percentage and has been involved in three of Arizona’s nation-leading 41 double plays this season. The utility player also earned a selection to the league’s All-Defensive Team as an outfielder.
Biehl was named the Scholar-Athlete of the Year, holding a 4.0 GPA in nutrition. The senior infielder has played in every game for the Wildcats and ranks fourth on the team with a .364 batting average.
Boyer is the third Jayhawk to be honored as the league’s top freshman softball player in program history and the first since 2015. In her debut season, she set the program record for most home runs by a KU player in their first year since 2015. The Freshman of the Year and First Team unanimous selection hit 13 home runs in Big 12 play, tying for second. She had a batting average of .338 and scored 26 runs in each Big 12 game for KU. The Spring, Texas native earned three weekly awards this season.
Cripe, an All-Defensive Team selection, had a .982 fielding percentage after putting out or assisting in 108 out of 110 chances. The senior is the first Jayhawk to be honored as the league’s top defensive player since it was first honored in 2024.
Meylan was the only Big 12 pitcher who threw more than 86 innings during league play, recording 115.2 in 19 appearances. She had a 15-2 record and tossed 12 complete games. She had a 1.57 ERA after only giving up 26 earned runs, along with throwing the league’s third-most strikeouts (95) against Big 12 opponents. She was also one of three Big 12 pitchers to record a perfect game during the Conference slate and had two no-hitters throughout the season. Meylan, who has won the Conference’s weekly award for pitchers three times this season, is the second Cowgirl pitcher in three seasons to win the yearly award.
Canady led the Big 12 with a 1.54 ERA, holding an 11-2 record with 68.1 innings pitched during the Conference schedule. In 15 games in the circle against Big 12 opponents, she held opposing batters to a .157 batting average and struck out 96 batters. The senior was credited with three shutouts against league opponents, which included a perfect game and an additional no-hitter. The reigning Big 12 Pitcher of the Year earned four league weekly honors this season.
Glasco led Texas Tech to back-to-back Big 12 regular-season titles after the Red Raiders finished with a Big 12 record of 21-3. TTU surpassed its program record of 74 home runs set in 2023, currently sitting at 118. The team has been ranked within the nation’s top-3 spots in the polls all season and was the first NCAA DI team to reach 50 wins this season. The 2026 season marked important milestones for Glasco as he earned his career 400
th and 100
th victories with the program. This is his second consecutive year winning the Big 12’s Coach of the Year award.
Arizona and Texas Tech tied with seven selections across the First and Second Team, followed by six from UCF, four from Arizona State, three from Iowa State and Kansas, and two honorees apiece from Houston, Oklahoma State and Utah.
The All-Freshman Team is comprised of first-year players from Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Utah.
The 2026 Big 12 softball season awards round out with the nine-member All-Defensive Team, featuring players from Arizona, Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.
2026 Big 12 Season Awards
Player and Batting Champion: Sydney Stewart, Arizona
Pitcher: Ruby Meylan, Oklahoma State and NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech
Freshman: Ella Boyer, Kansas*
Defensive Player: Regan Shockey, Arizona and Hailey Cripe, Kansas
Scholar-Athlete: Tayler Biehl, Arizona
Coach of the Year: Gerry Glasco, Texas Tech
First Team
Tayler Biehl, Arizona
Grace Jenkins, Arizona
Regan Shockey, Arizona
Sydney Stewart, Arizona*
Kenzie Brown, Arizona State
Katie Chester, Arizona State
Samantha Swan, Arizona State*
Sierra Humphreys, UCF
Isabella Vega, UCF
Tatum Johnson, Iowa State
Ella Boyer, Kansas*
Anna Soles, Kansas
Rosie Davis, Oklahoma State
Ruby Meylan, Oklahoma State*
NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech*
Jackie Lis, Texas Tech*
Kaitlyn Terry, Texas Tech*
Mia Williams, Texas Tech*
Second Team
Jalen Adams, Arizona
Tele Jennings, Arizona
Sereniti Trice, Arizona
Kaylee Pond, Arizona State
Beth Damon, UCF
Aubrey Evans, UCF
Izzy Mertes, UCF
Samantha Rey, UCF
Maddie Hartley, Houston
Makenna Mitchell, Houston
Reagan Bartholomew, Iowa State
Karlee Ford, Iowa State
Presley Limbaugh, Kansas
Jasmyn Burns, Texas Tech
Mihyia Davis, Texas Tech
Taylor Pannell, Texas Tech
Mia Gomez, Utah
Hailey Maestretti, Utah
All-Freshman Team
Rylie Holder, Arizona
Kez Lucas, Arizona
Kaygen Marshall, Baylor
Blakely Barber, Kansas
Ella Boyer, Kansas*
Lila Partridge, Kansas
Jayelle Austin, Oklahoma State
Aubrey Jones, Oklahoma State*
Payton Crank, Utah
Mia Gomez, Utah*
Cian Noli, Utah*
Danika Wilson, Utah*
Defensive Team
P – NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech
C – Audrey Schneidmiller, Oklahoma State
1B – Sydney Malott, Iowa State
2B – Sereniti Trice, Arizona
SS – Hailey Cripe, Kansas
3B – Taylor Pannell, Texas Tech
OF – Regan Shockey, Arizona
OF – Brooklyn Carter, Baylor
OF – Presley Limbaugh, Kansas
*indicates unanimous selection