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Alyssa Faircloth Adds SEC Newcomer of the Year to Record-Breaking Season

Alyssa Faircloth and Nadia Barbary gave Mississippi State softball multiple All-SEC selections for the third straight season.
Taylor Hodges|
Mississippi State pitcher Alyssa Faircloth celebrates an out a series-opening one win against Ole Miss in Oxford.
Mississippi State pitcher Alyssa Faircloth celebrates an out a series-opening one win against Ole Miss in Oxford. | Mississippi State Athletics

Mississippi State didn’t leave the SEC awards list empty handed.

Alyssa Faircloth and Nadia Barbary both picked up Second Team All‑SEC honors on Friday, and Faircloth added an extra piece of hardware as the league’s Newcomer of the Year.

It’s been clear for months that Faircloth was one of the best pitchers in the conference, and the numbers back it up. She led the SEC in strikeouts with 231 in the regular season, including 105 in league play. She broke the school record for strikeouts looking at the SEC Tournament and is closing in on the overall single‑season strikeout mark, sitting just 15 shy. Opponents hit .188 against her, and her 10.73 strikeouts per seven innings set a new Mississippi State record by a wide margin.

Faircloth is also the second Bulldog pitcher to earn a newcomer honor this year after USA Today recognized Peja Goold earlier in the spring. For a program that has leaned heavily on its pitching staff, that’s not nothing.

Barbary’s selection comes as no surprise either. She led Mississippi State in hits and RBIs during the regular season and is one hit away from becoming the 13th Bulldog to reach 200 career hits.

In SEC play, she hit .319 with four homers and ranked third among league third basemen in OPS. This is her second career All‑SEC nod, and she’s already climbed into the top 10 in school history in doubles, homers, total bases and RBIs.

She also delivered when it mattered. Barbary led the team in game‑winning RBIs and finished the regular season with 13 multi‑hit games and eight multi‑RBI nights.

This marks the third straight year Mississippi State has had multiple All‑SEC selections. Faircloth becomes the program’s first Newcomer of the Year and the first Bulldog to win a major SEC award since Mia Davidson was named Freshman of the Year in 2018.

For a team that has built its identity around pitching and timely hitting, the awards fit the season.

2026 SEC Softball Awards

  • Player of the Year: Katie Stewart, Texas
  • Pitcher of the Year: Jocelyn Briski, Alabama
  • Newcomer of the Year: Alyssa Faircloth, Mississippi State
  • Freshman of the Year: Kendall Wells, Oklahoma
  • Coach of the Year: Patrick Murphy, Alabama

SEC All-Defensive Team

  • Pitcher: Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee
  • Catcher: Reese Atwood, Texas
  • First Base: Abby Hay, Missouri
  • Second Base: Gabi Comia, Florida
  • Shortstop: Gabbie Garcia, Oklahoma
  • Third Base: Ella McDowell, Arkansas
  • Left Field: Dakota Kennedy, Arkansas
  • Center Field: Reagan Johnson, Arkansas
  • Right Field: Ella Parker, Oklahoma

All-SEC First Team

  • Jocelyn Briski, Alabama
  • Brooke Wells, Alabama
  • Robyn Herron, Arkansas
  • Dakota Kennedy, Arkansas
  • Jocelyn Erickson, Florida
  • Keagan Rothrock, Florida
  • Taylor Shumaker, Florida
  • Townsen Thomas, Florida
  • Jaydyn Goodwin, Georgia
  • Sarah Gordon, Georgia
  • Kylee Edwards, LSU
  • Gabbie Garcia, Oklahoma
  • Kai Minor, Oklahoma
  • Ella Parker, Oklahoma
  • Kendall Wells, Oklahoma
  • Jori Heard, South Carolina
  • Alannah Leach, Tennessee
  • Sage Mardjetko, Tennessee
  • Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee
  • Kayden Henry, Texas
  • Teagan Kavan, Texas
  • Viviana Martinez, Texas
  • Katie Stewart, Texas
  • Mya Perez, Texas A&M
  • Kennedy Powell, Texas A&M

All-SEC Second Team

  • Marlie Giles, Alabama
  • Alexis Pupillo, Alabama
  • Payton Burnham, Arkansas
  • Ella McDowell, Arkansas
  • Alyssa Hastings, Auburn
  • Kenleigh Cahalan, Florida
  • Cassidy McLellan, Florida
  • Bailey Lindemuth, Georgia
  • Randi Roelling, Georgia
  • Keirstin Roose, Georgia
  • Carly Sleeman, Kentucky
  • Tori Edwards, LSU
  • Alix Franklin, LSU
  • Jalia Lassiter, LSU
  • Madi George, Ole Miss
  • Persy Llamas, Ole Miss
  • Nadia Barbary, Mississippi State
  • Alyssa Faircloth, Mississippi State
  • Abby Dayton, Oklahoma
  • Isabela Emerling, Oklahoma
  • Audrey Lowry, Oklahoma
  • Reese Atwood, Texas
  • Leighann Goode, Texas
  • Hannah Wells, Texas
  • Sidne Peters, Texas A&M
  • Micaela Wark, Texas A&M
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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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