Skip to main content
Softball On SI

Belmont's Maya Johnson, Alabama's Jocelyn Briski Lead Softball America’s Pitcher Rankings

Who is No. 1?
Nicole Reitz|
Jocelyn Briski sits No.2 in Softball America's Pitching Rankings.
Jocelyn Briski sits No.2 in Softball America's Pitching Rankings. | Alabama Athletics

After two months of play, Softball America has released a list of the current best aces in the game, and a mid-major star stands at No.1. 

Softball America uses stats, advanced metrics, Strength of Schedule, the eye test, and considers how pitchers have performed in the past to rank them. 

Take a look at the Top 10 pitchers and visit Softball America for the full list of 25 pitchers, along with the best two-way players in the nation. 

Top 10 Pitchers in College Softball 

  1. Maya Johnson, 0.53 ERA, 236/17 K/BB, 119 IP, 17-1
  2. Jocelyn Briski, 1.28 ERA, 113/10 K/BB, 76.1 IP, 13-0
  3. NiJaree Canady, 1.35 ERA, 116/22 K/BB, 83 IP, 13-2, 2 SV
  4. Teagan Kavan, 2.44 ERA, 114/15 K/BB, 89 IP, 13-1, 2 SV
  5. Karlyn Pickens, 1.46 ERA, 96/38 K/BB, 72 IP, 8-3, 2 SV
  6. Peja Goold, 1.25 ERA, 131/23 K/BB, 95 IP, 13-4, 2 SV
  7. Alyssa Faircloth, 1.49 ERA, 161/20 K/BB, 94 IP, 9-3, 4 SV
  8. Sage Mardjetko, 0.89 ERA, 87/16 K/BB, 63 IP, 7-1
  9. Bree Carrico, 1.33 ERA, 86/27 K/BB, 63 IP, 9-0, 3 SV
  10. Lyndsey Grein, 2.20 ERA, 129/36 K/BB, 102 IP, 15-4

Maya Johnson, Belmont Bruins 

No one is having a better senior season on the mound than Johnson. A perfect game to start the season, followed by two top-ranked wins over Georgia and Mississippi State, a no-hitter, and notching her 1000th career strikeout, there’s no stopping the southpaw. 

In the 1-0 loss to Tennessee in March, she allowed just five hits and no earned runs while striking out 11 over six innings.  She leads the NCAA in ERA, strikeouts, complete games, and shutouts.

Jocelyn Briski, Alabama Crimson Tide 

Briski recently earned two complete-game wins over the Arkansas Razorbacks, holding the offense to just two runs. She collected a career-best 14 strikeouts in the series opener and allowed just nine hits across the entire weekend. Briski is now 13-0 on the season and is coming off a combined perfect game with Alea Johnson and Braya Hodges

NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech Red Raiders 

Canady continues to make history as she is the first Red Raider to throw three no-hitters in a career. She is now seven strikeouts away from 1,000 in her career and is one of just two active players to have over 950 strikeouts. 

Against Iowa State last weekend, she became the first collegiate player of 2026 to be given a Golden Ticket from the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), making her draft eligible. 

Teagan Kavan, Texas Longhorns 

Kavan is on a mission to lead the No.1 Longhorns to a second-straight NCAA national title. The junior assisted the team to a program-record 29-consecutive wins, until taking her first loss of the season against Texas A&M on Sunday. She’s coming off a season-high 12 strikeouts against Ole Miss. 

Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee Lady Vols

Pickens has dropped down in the rankings a bit after being sidelined due to an 11-day arm strain. 

She returned against Mississippi State and allowed just one run on one hit with four walks to notch her seventh win of 2026. By the second inning, Pickens was able to grab her 700th career strikeout and went on to throw five more in the outing.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published | Modified
Nicole Reitz
NICOLE REITZ

Nicole Reitz graduated from Indiana University Indianapolis with a degree in sports journalism in 2022 and has been writing about softball and baseball since 2018 .Her work has been published in various publications like Softball America, the Indianapolis Star, and SoxOn35th.

Share on XFollow nicolereitz02
Home/College