Ellis, Gibson Whorton and Herron to Compete in USA Softball All-Star Showcase

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas Softball alums Bri Ellis and Danielle Gibson Whorton, along with junior pitcher Robyn Herron, are set to compete in the USA Softball All-Star Showcase featuring the U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT), professional athletes, and top collegiate athletes at Devon Park in Oklahoma City on June 26.

The event will feature Team USA matching up against elite collegiate and professional athletes in a doubleheader open to the public. Ellis, Gibson Whorton, and Herron are three of 40 athletes set to showcase their skills at the U.S. Women’s National Team Camp, which begins on June 23. The week-long training camp will feature the USA Softball All-Star Showcase, where Team USA will face off against top collegiate and professional athletes in a doubleheader in preparation for the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China, August 13-17.

Ellis, Gibson Whorton and Herron will be competing against the U.S. National Team as part of the Women’s National Team Pool in the All-Star Showcase on June 26.

The group includes seven current student-athletes, four graduates from the class of 2025, and 29 former student-athletes. In total, these athletes represent 18 universities across four athletic conferences: SEC (25), Big Ten (9), Big 12 (4), and ACC (2). The Razorbacks’ three selections are tied for the third-most nationally among collegiate programs, trailing only Oklahoma and UCLA.

Ellis just wrapped up her collegiate career with one of the greatest offensive seasons in NCAA history. She batted .440 with 26 home runs, 72 RBI, 146 total bases, 69 walks, and 68 runs scored while posting a 1.090 slugging percentage, a .639 on-base percentage, and a 1.729 OPS. Her 26 homers, 72 RBI, 68 runs scored, 1.090 slugging percentage and .639 on-base percentage were single-season program records. She also tied the SEC single-season record with 26 round-trippers. Ellis finished the regular season ranked second nationally in home runs per game (0.51) and walks per game (1.42), becoming the first player to finish the regular season in the top two nationally in both categories since Jen Yee of Georgia Tech in 2010. Ellis recently was selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 Athlete’s Unlimited Softball League draft by the Talons.

Gibson Whorton starred at Arkansas from 2019-2022. She was a finalist for the 2022 Honda Sports Award in addition to being a two-time NFCA All-American (2022: First-Team, 2021: Second-Team), three-time NFCA All-Region selection (2022, 2021: First-Team, 2019: Second-Team), two-time All-SEC selection (2022: First-Team, 2021: Second-Team) and two-time SEC All-Defensive Team honoree (2022, 2021).  Gibson still ranks among the Arkansas Career Top 10 in batting average (2nd, .361), slugging percentage (3rd, .649), runs scored (5th, 129), hits (3rd, 225), doubles (2nd, 46), home runs (2nd, 48), RBI (1st, 180), total bases (1st, 419) and sacrifice flies (5th, 8). She plays professionally for the Athletes Unlimited Softball League’s Blaze.

Herron posted an 18-7 record as a junior this season with three saves, a 2.72 ERA, and a team-leading 160 strikeouts in 144.0 innings pitched while limiting opposing hitters to a .195 batting average. She earned her 18th win of the season against Oklahoma State on May 18, courtesy of a six-inning complete-game shutout in which she struck out two and allowed just three hits while helping Arkansas advance to its fourth Super Regional in program history. Herron led Arkansas in wins (18), complete games (11) and complete-game shutouts (4), strikeouts (160), and innings pitched (144.0). She will serve as a practice player in the event.

To purchase tickets for the event, please visit SeatGeek.com. To learn more about the U.S. Women’s National Team Program, please visit USASoftball.com.

For schedule updates and other news, go to ArkansasRazorbacks.com, or follow @RazorbackSB on X, Instagram and Facebook.