OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Sun Devil Softball’s Kenzie Brown was selected to the 2026 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List, the organization announced on Wednesday afternoon. Brown is Arizona State’s first representative on the watch list since the 2021 season, when Kindra Hackbarth was selected prior to her fifth year.
Brown, a 5-foot-11 right-handed pitcher, joins Hackbarth (2020-21), Amber Freeman (2014-15), Cheyenne Coyle (2014), Dallas Escobedo (2012, 14), Katelyn Boyd (2012), Kaitlin Cochran (2007-08) and Katie Burkhart (2007-08) as Sun Devil softball student-athletes to ever be selected to USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List.
Last season, Brown broke onto the scene with a team-high 19 wins in 35 pitching appearances to go along with 289 strikeouts, the fourth most in Division I softball and second most in the Big 12. Her 11.60 strikeouts per seven innings ranked second in the nation and first in the conference. She also matched the program’s single-game strikeout record by recording 18 strikeouts against BYU on March 6. It was one of 13 double-digit strikeout outings for Brown throughout the season.
By season’s end, Brown was named an All-American by NFCA (First Team), D1Softball (Second Team) and Softball American (Second Team).
Brown is one of 10 softball student-athletes from the Big 12 Conference to be selected to the list. Only the SEC (24) had more representatives acknowledged on the list than the Big 12. The Big Ten and ACC both had nine student-athletes each chosen, while Coastal Carolina was the lone Sun Belt program with a representative.
The Top 25 finalists for the 2026 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be announced on April 29. While a student-athlete does not have to be on the Watch List to be considered for the Top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the Top 25 Finalists. The Top 10 finalists will be revealed on May 13, while the top three will be announced on May 18. The 2026 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be announced prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS).
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