Bri Ellis Joins AUSL’s Growing List of National Players of the Year

Shortly before walking on stage to accept her USA Collegiate Softball National Player of the Year (NPOY) award, Bri Ellis signed with the Talons of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL).

With Ellis now in the league, she joins three other current players who achieved the NPOY feat, plus one coach and one general manager. Here's a look at who these talented players were in college and how they achieved this outstanding accolade.

Bri Ellis- Talons Infielder, 2025 NPOY

With an outstanding year for the Razorbacks, Ellis was third in the nation in home runs with 26 and set the Arkansas single-season program record. She scored 68 runs on 59 hits and added 72 RBIs. The first baseman also ranks first in the NCAA in on-base percentage with .639 and slugging percentage with 1.090.

Just the fifth position player to win USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year since the award's inception in 2002 pic.twitter.com/MSUigGCMYy
— Arkansas Softball (@RazorbackSB) May 28, 2025

Rachel Garcia- Volts Pitcher, 2018 and 2019 NPOY

Garcia became just the fourth athlete to claim multiple and back-to-back Player of the Year honors. Upon receiving the award in 2019, she was third in the nation with a 1.01 ERA and led the UCLA Bruins pitching staff with a 24-1 record and 253 strikeouts in 166 innings. She was also a force at the plate, boasting a .344 batting average, nine home runs, and 49 RBIs.

Congratulations to @UCLASoftball pitcher Rachel Garcia on winning the @USASoftball National Collegiate Player of the Year for the second straight year! #NCAASoftball pic.twitter.com/WpQa6HFnFa
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 29, 2019

Sierra Romero- Volts Infielder, 2016 NPOY

As a star second baseman for the Michigan Wolverines, Romero was batting .465 with 72 hits, 19 home runs, 78 RBIs, and 74 runs scored in 56 games at the time of achieving the award. She became the first player to reach the 300-300-300 plateau in career hits, RBIs and runs scored. She also still holds the NCAA records in career runs scored (302) and grand slams (11).

Keilani Ricketts- Blaze Pitcher, 2012 and 2013 NPOY

Ricketts became the first player in Oklahoma softball program history to be named NPOY in 2012. In 2013, she won the award again, after ranking eighth in the country with a 1.22 ERA, seventh with 311 strikeouts, and second with 16 shutouts. At the plate, she held a .375 batting average, a .706 slugging percentage, and had 13 runs.

Cat Osterman- Volts General Manager, 2003, 2005, and 2006 NPOY

At the time, Osterman was the only player to receive NPOY honors more than once and is still the only player to do it three times.

In 2006, Osterman led the Longhorns to a 54-7 overall record, the Big 12 regular season championship, and their first-ever No. 1 ranking. When receiving the award, she was holding a 37-2 record and was heading into the Women’s College World Series, leading the nation in strikeouts with 590 and had the nation’s lowest ERA with 0.39. She also set the NCAA career strikeout mark and became the first player to surpass 2,000 strikeouts.

Stacey Nuveman-Deniz- Bandits Head Coach, 2002 NPOY

As a catcher for UCLA, Nuveman-Deniz was the inaugural NPOY. She led the nation in batting average at .529 and 20 home runs. She set the NCAA season record for slugging percentage at 1.045 and the career record for home runs at 90. Her career batting average of .466 is the highest in the UCLA record books.