USA Softball Player of the Year Unveils Top 10 Finalists

A sign of the growth in college softball? The American Athletic Conference has more Top 10 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award this year than the Pac-12 and SEC.

USA Softball unveiled the Top 10 list on Wednesday, and it’s split evenly with five pitchers and five position players.

Named as finalists for 2022 were:

Joceyln Alo, RS-Sr, Utility, Oklahoma

Jordy Bahl, Fresh, P, Oklahoma

Georgina Corrick, Sr, P, South Florida

Danielle Gibson, RS-Sr, Inf., Arkansas

Baylee Klingler, Sr, Inf., Washington

Grace Lyons, Sr, Inf., Oklahoma

Kelly Maxwell, RS-Jr, P, Oklahoma State

Sydney McKinney, Jr, Inf., Wichita State

Keely Rochard, Sr, P, Virginia Tech

Danielle Williams, Sr, P, Northwestern.

Currently in its 20^th season, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award is considered the most prestigious individual honor in Division I college softball and recognizes outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female softball players across the country.

The Top 10 finalists include three fifth-year/graduate students, four seniors, two juniors and one freshman. They represent eight Division I programs and six conferences. The Big 12 leads with four members, including three from the University of Oklahoma, followed by the American Athletic Conference with two and one each among the Atlantic Coast Conference, Pac-12, Big Ten and SEC.

The Top 3 finalists will be revealed on May 18, and the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be announced prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series, which is scheduled for June 1-10 at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City.

UCLA’s Rachel Garcia won the award last year.