LOUISVILLE, Ky. – One hundred and eighteen student-athletes from across the country were revealed as part of the 2026 NFCA Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year watchlist.
The list is broken down into the eight NCAA Regions (Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast and West) with up to 15 student-athletes represented in each region. The list is compiled by the elected members of the NFCA Division II All-American Committee with one head coach representing each of the eight NCAA regions. To be eligible, a student-athlete’s head coach must be an active NFCA member.
Click HERE to view watchlist.
Headlining the list are 13 returning NFCA All-Americans, including four from the first team – Maleah Andrews (Western Washington), Jessica Miller (Tiffin), Brianna Gallagher (Catawba) and Sarah Davenport (East Stroudsburg), four from the second team – Gwen McGinnis (Tampa), Heather Arnett (Pittsburg State), Rylee Lemos (Central Oklahoma), Hannah Taylor (Eckerd), and five from the third team – Macy Irelan (Saginaw Valley State), Marissa Quintero (Cal State East Bay), Mia Johnson (Parkside), Aalana Kimble (Saginaw Valley State) and Lauren Harris (McKendree). In all, the group consists of 86 programs from 22 conferences.
Voted on by the NFCA’s Division II All-American Committee, the 2026 NFCA Player of the Year and NFCA/Portolite Pitcher of the Year will be announced on May 27, a day prior to the start of the NCAA Division II National Championships.
Student-athletes do not have to be on this watchlist to be considered for end-of-season awards, which will be voted on by the members of the NFCA Division II All-America Committee. To be eligible to be selected for NFCA Player and NFCA/Portolite Pitcher of the Year honors, a student-athlete’s head coach must be a member.
The Player of the Year award was created in 2015 to honor the outstanding athletic achievements among softball student-athletes throughout NCAA Division II. In 2019, the Association expanded the award to include a Player and Pitcher of the Year.
PREVIOUS WINNERS (Player / Pitcher)
2025 - Emilee Boyer, West Texas A&M University / Brinson Rogers, Southern Arkansas University
2024 - Lauren Harris, McKendree University / Kenzee Smith, University of Indianapolis
2023- Zoe Willis, Georgia Southwestern State University / Tatum Goff, UT Tyler
2022- Kayson Boatner, Anderson University / Andrea Morales, Rogers State University
2021- Shanna McBroom, West Texas A&M University / Morgan Perry, Saint Anselm College
2019- Julia Seader LIU Post / Allison Lipovsky, Grand Valley State University
2018- Kylee Smith, University of North Georgia
2017- Coley Ries, Minnesota State University Mankato
2016- Lindsay Butler, Wayne State University
2015- Courtney Poole, University of North Georgia
The NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded NFCA Player and Pitcher of the Year awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from webinars to legal counsel, to in-person events and the National Convention.
Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining over 7,000 coaches today!
