Ahead of the start of the 2023 DI softball season next month, USA Softball unveiled the 50 players on its watch list for player of the year honors.
The list features eight players from 2022 champion Oklahoma, five of which were all-Americans last season: Jordy Bahl, Jayda Coleman, Kinzie Hansen, Tiare Jennings and Grace Lyons.
USA Softball's 2023 collegiate player of the year watch list
| NAME | COLLEGE | POSITION | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jordy Bahl | Oklahoma | P | Sophomore |
| Mac Barbara | San Diego State | INF/C/DP | Redshirt Sophomore |
| Addison Barnard | Wichita State | OF | Junior |
| Rachel Becker | Oklahoma State | INF | Graduate Student |
| Maya Brady | UCLA | UTL | Redshirt Junior |
| Ciara Briggs | LSU | OF | Junior |
| Valerie Cagle | Clemson | P/UTL | Junior |
| Jada Cody | UCF | UTL | Junior |
| Erin Coffel | Kentucky | INF | Junior |
| Jayda Coleman | Oklahoma | OF | Junior |
| Chenise Delce | Arkansas | P | Redshirt Senior |
| Charla Echols | Florida | INF | Graduate Student |
| Kendra Falby | Florida | OF | Sophomore |
| Megan Faraimo | UCLA | P | Redshirt Senior |
| Kristina Foreman | Arkansas | INF | Graduate Student |
| Montana Fouts | Alabama | P | Graduate Student |
| Hannah Gammill | Arkansas | UTL | Junior |
| Karina Gaskins | Notre Dame | INF | Junior |
| Frankie Hammoude | Oregon State | INF | Senior |
| Kinzie Hansen | Oklahoma | C | Senior |
| Faith Hensley | Alabama | OF | Graduate Student |
| Tiare Jennings | Oklahoma | INF | Junior |
| Jayda Kearney | Georgia | OF | Junior |
| Baylee Klingler | Washington | INF | Fifth Year |
| Kayla Kowalik | Kentucky | C | Redshirt Senior |
| Jenna Laird | Missouri | INF | Junior |
| Haley Lee | Oklahoma | C/UTL | Redshirt Senior |
| Emma Lemley | Virginia Tech | P | Sophomore |
| Mack Leonard | Florida State | P/INF | Graduate Student |
| Grace Lyons | Oklahoma | INF | Redshirt Senior |
| Kelly Maxwell | Oklahoma State | P | Redshirt Senior |
| Sydney McKinney | Wichita State | INF | Senior |
| Kiki Milloy | Tennessee | OF | Senior |
| Sara Mosley | Georgia | INF | Senior |
| Jessica Mullins | Texas State | P | Junior |
| Sharlize Palacios | UCLA | C | Redshirt Junior |
| Maddie Penta | Auburn | P | Junior |
| Taylor Pleasants | LSU | INF | Graduate Student |
| Emma Ritter | Virginia Tech | OF | Junior |
| Ashley Rogers | Tennessee | P | Graduate Student |
| Jordyn Rudd | Northwestern | C | Graduate Student |
| Kathryn Sandercock | Florida State | P | Redshirt Senior |
| Cydney Sanders | Oklahoma | INF | Sophomore |
| Mia Scott | Texas | INF | Sophomore |
| Carlie Scupin | Arizona | INF | Junior |
| Karli Spaid | Miami (OH) | INF | Junior |
| Alex Storako | Oklahoma | P | Redshirt Senior |
| Alana Vawter | Stanford | P | Senior |
| Skylar Wallace | Florida | INF | Redshirt Junior |
| Danielle Williams | Northwestern | P | Graduate Student |
The Sooners lead the way with the most players featured in the breakdown, followed by Maryland with the second-most and Arkansas, Florida and UCLA tied for third-most.
Here's a breakdown of the schools with two or more players listed:
| TEAM | NUMBER OF PLAYERS | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 8 | SEC |
| Maryland | 7 | Big Ten |
| Arkansas | 3 | SEC |
| Florida | 3 | SEC |
| UCLA | 3 | Pac-12 |
| Alabama | 2 | SEC |
| Florida State | 2 | ACC |
| Georgia | 2 | SEC |
| Kentucky | 2 | SEC |
| LSU | 2 | SEC |
| Northwestern | 2 | Big Ten |
| Oklahoma State | 2 | Big 12 |
| Tennessee | 2 | SEC |
| Virginia Tech | 2 | ACC |
| Wichita State | 2 | AAC |
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) leads the athletic conferences with 18 athletes included followed by the Big 12 Conference with 11, Pac-12 Conference with seven and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with six. Also represented is the American Athletic Conference (AAC) with three athletes and the Big Ten Conference with two while the Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference and Sun Belt Conference each showcase one athlete apiece.
