Ellis Named Top 10 Finalist For USA Softball Collegiate Player Of The Year

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas senior first baseman Bri Ellis has been selected as a Top 10 Finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, the organization announced Wednesday.

Currently in its 23rd season, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award recognizes outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female collegiate softball players nationwide. Ellis is one of five position players to make the list and one of three finalists from an SEC school, joining Kendra Falby (Florida) and Karlyn Pickens (Tennessee).

Ellis became just the second Arkansas player in program history to be named a Top 10 Finalist for the award, joining Danielle Gibson, who accomplished the feat in 2022.

The Houston, Texas, product is putting together one of the greatest individual seasons in NCAA history. Ellis is batting .475 with 26 home runs, 72 RBI, 145 total bases, 58 walks and 61 runs scored while posting a 1.189 slugging percentage, a .649 on-base percentage and a 1.838 OPS. Her 26 homers and 72 RBI are both single-season program records and she is on pace to set single-season program records in batting average and on-base percentage. She currently leads the nation in slugging percentage, on-base percentage and OPS while leading the SEC in 10 offensive categories. 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 was previously named SEC Player of the Year after batting .397 with a league-leading 11 home runs and 29 RBI while drawing 27 walks and posting a .983 slugging percentage, .606 on-base percentage, and 1.589 OPS during SEC Play. She finished the conference slate on a 20-game reached base streak. Defensively, the first baseman posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 124 putouts and seven assists on her way to earning SEC All-Defensive honors for the second consecutive year.

The Top 10 Finalists will be narrowed down to three athletes on May 19, followed by the announcement of the 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series, which is scheduled to take May 29 – June 6 at the Softball Capital of the World®.

2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 10 Finalists

Jordy Bahl, Nebraska, RHP/UTL, Jr.
Nijaree Canady, Texas Tech, P, Jr.
Bri Ellis, Arkansas, 1B, Sr.
Kendra Falby, Florida, OF, Sr.
Lyndsey Grein, Oregon, P, Jr.
Cori McMillian, Virginia Tech, OF, Sr.
Devyn Netz, Arizona, P/INF, Gr.
Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee, P, Jr.
Isa Torres, Florida State, SS, So.
Jordan Woolery, UCLA, 3B, Jr.

Up Next

After securing the No. 4 overall national seed the Razorbacks will open NCAA Regional play at 5:30 p.m. against Saint Louis at Bogle Park.

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