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Oklahoma Freshman Kendall Wells Named a Top 10 Finalist for Major Honor

The OU catcher was the lone underclassman who made the top 10 list for national player of the year.
Ryan Chapman|
Oklahoma catcher Kendall Wells runs home after hitting a home run against Alabama State.
Oklahoma catcher Kendall Wells runs home after hitting a home run against Alabama State. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Oklahoma catcher Kendall Wells was named a top 10 finalist for the 2026 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award on Wednesday. 

Teammates Kai Minor, Gabbie Garcia and Ella Parker were named to the top 25 list for the honor, but the freshman was the lone Sooner to make the top 10 list. 

Not only is Wells the only freshman in the top 10, but she is the lone underclassman who made the cut. 

She is the first Sooner to make the top 10 list since Jordy Frahm made the top 10 in 2022, and Wells is the first OU freshman position player to make the top 10 since Tiare Jennings in 2021.

Wells is second nationally with 36 home runs, and she’s hitting .360 as the Sooners enter the NCAA Tournament. 

She also leads the team in RBIs (79), OPS (1.535), slugging percentage (1.050) and walks (38), and she’s posted an on-base percentage of .485.

Wells and Minor were both named to the top 10 list for NFCA Freshman of the Year last week. 

The OU duo also earned First Team All-SEC recognition alongside Garcia and Parker. 

Outfielder Abby Dayton, utility player Isabela Emerling and pitcher Audrey Lowry were named to the All-SEC Second Team. 

Garcia and Parker also earned All-SEC Defensive Team honors. 

Wells also became the first Sooner to win SEC Freshman of the Year, the league announced last Friday. 

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A Sooner has taken home the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award on four occasions. 

Keilani Ricketts was the first to win the honor in 2012, and she won the award again in 2013.

Slugger Jocelyn Alo then went back-to-back as well with wins in 2021 and 2022.

The list will be cut down from 10 players to three finalists on May 18, and the winner will be announced prior to the Women’s College World Series. 

Clemson's Valerie Cagle won the award in 2023, then-Stanford pitcher NiJaree Canady won the award in 2024, and Arkansas slugger Bri Ellis took home the honor in 2025.

Oklahoma starts its quest to return to Oklahoma City on Friday at 2:30 p.m. against Binghamton in the Norman Regional.

The Sooners will also have to contend with Kansas and Michigan this weekend as they open the NCAA Tournament at Love's Field.

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is co-publisher at Sooners On SI and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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