Ellis Named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 25 Finalist

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas first baseman Bri Ellis has been named a Top 25 Finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, the organization announced Wednesday morning.

Ellis is having one of the best seasons at the plate in NCAA history. The Houston, Texas product is 491 with 54 hits, 57 runs scored, eight doubles, 24 home runs, 65 RBI, 134 total bases and 46 walks while posting a nation-leading 1.218 slugging percentage and .645 on-base percentage. She currently owns a 1.863 On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage (OPS), which leads the country and is on pace to be the best single-season mark since the statistic was first tracked in 2016.

She is on pace to become just the sixth player in NCAA history to record a batting average above .480 and hit more than 20 homers in a single season. Through 46 games, she currently holds program records in seven offensive categories, including home runs (24, T-1st), RBI (65), total bases (134), batting average (.491), on-base percentage (.645), runs scored (57), and slugging percentage (1.218). She has posted 18 multi-hit games this season and 17 multi-RBI games.

Ellis was one of 12 finalists from the SEC to appear on the list. The Top 25 Finalists consist of one fifth-year student, nine seniors, eight juniors, five sophomores, and two freshmen, representing 18 NCAA Division I universities and four athletic conferences. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has the largest representation with seven member schools, followed by the Big Ten with five, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with four, and the Big 12 with two.

The Top 25 Finalists will be narrowed down to 10 athletes on May 14, followed by the Top 3 Finalists set to be released on May 19. The 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed prior to the Women’s College World Series, which is scheduled to take May 29 – June 6 at the Softball Capital of the World.

No. 6/8 Arkansas will conclude the regular season this Thursday-Saturday when they welcome No. 10 LSU to Bogle Park for a three-game league series. The first pitch for Thursday’s and Friday’s contests is set for 6 p.m., while the series finale is slated for 1 p.m.  All three games will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

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