USA Softball Reveals Top 25 Finalists for 2026 Collegiate Player of the Year

As the regular season winds down, it’s time to start considering who could win one of the most prestigious awards in NCAA softball, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.

Voted on by previous award winners, coaching representatives from nine Division I Conferences, as well as members of the media who consistently cover Division I softball across the country, the Top 25 finalists were announced on Wednesday.

Arkansas’ Bri Ellis took home the honors last year after an outstanding season at the plate, but who will rise to the top in 2026?

Check out the incredibly talented list of 25 finalists.

USA Softball Top 25 Player of the Year Finalists

Jocelyn Briski, Alabama
NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech
Jocelyn Erickson, Florida
Jordy Frahm, Nebraska
Gabbie Garcia, Oklahoma
Megan Grant, UCLA
Maya Johnson, Belmont
Teagan Kavan, Texas
Emily LeGette, North Carolina
Sage Mardjetko, Tennessee
Ruby Meylan, Oklahoma State
Kai Minor, Oklahoma
Ella Parker, Oklahoma
Mya Perez, Texas A&M
Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee
Moriah Polar, Purdue
Keagan Rothrock, Florida
Taylor Shumaker, Florida
Katie Stewart, Texas
Sydney Stewart, Arizona
Kaitlyn Terry, Texas Tech
Isa Torres, Florida State
Aminah Vega, Duke
Kendall Wells, Oklahoma
Jordan Woolery, UCLA

Key Dates

Top 10 Finalists Announced- May 13

Top 3 Finalists Announced- May 18

Player of the Year Announcement- Prior to the Women’s College World Series

Softball On SI's Favorites to Win

Isa Torres, Florida State Seminoles

Isa Torres is a double threat on the diamond. At the plate, she’s currently first in batting average at .583, second in on-base percentage at .644, fifth in slugging percentage at 1.094, and fourth in hits at 81, all while carrying a perfect fielding percentage at shortstop.

The junior etched her name in the history books in March when she finished her night against Cal 3-for-3 with two RBIs to become the first player in NCAA history to record 14 hits in 14 consecutive at-bats.

No surprise here‼️

Isa is a Top 25 Finalist for the USA Softball National Player of the Year🍢#Team43 pic.twitter.com/YT7NL8CYyp
— Florida State Softball 🥎 (@FSU_Softball) April 29, 2026

Megan Grant, UCLA Bruins

The senior is having her best year yet at the plate and has etched her name in several historic categories.

To start the season, Megan Grant became just the second player in program history to hit three homers in a game. Now with 34 on the season, she’s just behind Oklahoma’s Kendall Wells for league-best, is first in on-base percentage at .649, and slugging percentage at 1.372, and has a batting average of .472.

Kaitlyn Terry, Texas Tech Red Raiders

In her first season with the Red Raiders, Kaitlyn Terry has been an unbeatable two-way star. On the mound, she has one loss across 104 innings pitched. She’s tenth in the league with an ERA of 1.47 with 125 strikeouts.

At the plate, she’s fifth in the NCAA with a batting average of .496, and seventh for on-base percentage at .587, while putting up 50 RBIs, 67 hits, and 12 doubles.

Accepting nicknames for this duo pic.twitter.com/t4omBJgdNP
— Texas Tech Softball (@TexasTechSB) April 29, 2026

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