IRVING, Texas – On the eve of the 2026 American Conference Softball Championship, the league announced its regular-season awards, including major individual honors, All-Conference teams and the All-Freshman Team, as selected by the conference’s 10 head coaches.
Wichita State’s Kinzey Woody became the first player to be named American Player of the Year and American Freshman of the Year in the same season, earning a unanimous selection for Freshman of the Year. South Florida’s Anne Long was named American Pitcher of the Year, becoming the fourth Bull to earn the honor, joining Sara Nevins (2014), Erica Nunn (2016) and Georgina Corick (2018–22). Teammate Kathy Garcia-Soto earned American Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player to win the award three times. The Wichita State coaching staff was named American Staff of the Year for the third time.
In total, 24 players from seven member institutions earned All-Conference recognition, while six additional players were selected to the All-Freshman Team. Wichita State led all programs with five selections across the first and second All-Conference teams. Long and Wood were unanimous selections, with South Florida’s Alex Wilkes and Memphis’ Mya Brown also earning unanimous recognition.
Woody was a force for the Shockers, slashing .476/.587/1.000 in conference play to lead the league in all three categories. She finished second in the conference with 12 home runs while driving in a league-high 36 RBIs. She recorded a hit in 23 of 27 conference games and posted 10 multi-RBI performances.
Long anchored the Bulls’ rotation with a league-leading 1.77 ERA across 106.2 innings pitched. The South Florida ace held conference opponents to a .212 batting average while striking out 61 batters. In 19 appearances, she compiled a 14-1 record with two saves.
Garcia-Soto became the first player in conference history to be named Defensive Player of the Year three times (2023, 2024, 2026). The second baseman posted a .988 fielding percentage across 251 total chances, committing just three errors in conference play. She totaled 100 putouts and turned 19 double plays.
Under head coach Kristi Bredbenner, Wichita State captured a share of the American Conference regular-season title. The Shockers led the conference in nearly every major offensive category, including batting average (.317), hits (251), runs (187), doubles (46), RBIs (175), slugging percentage (.590) and on-base percentage (.433).
2026 American Conference Softball Regular-Season Awards
Player of the Year
Kinzey Woody, Wichita State
Pitcher of the Year
Anne Long, South Florida*
Defensive Player of the Year
Kathy Garcia-Soto, South Florida*
Freshman of the Year
Kinzey Woody, Wichita State*
Coaching Staff of the Year
Wichita State
Head Coach Kristi Bredbenner, Associate Head Coach Elizabeth Economon, Assistant Coach Courtney Oliver-Elkins
All-Conference First Team
P – Autumn Courtney, Florida Atlantic
P – Anne Long, South Florida*
P – Ryley Nihart, Wichita State
C – Elizabeth Moffitt, North Texas
1B – Claira Skaggs, Tulsa
2B – Sabrina Wick, UTSA
SS – Alex Wilkes, South Florida*
3B – Kinzey Wood, Wichita State*
OF – Kanisha Anderson, East Carolina
OF – Kylie Hammonds, Florida Atlantic
OF – Madison Conley, North Texas
DP/U/P – Mya Clark, Memphis*
DP/U/Non-P – Ausha Moore, Wichita State
All-Conference Second Team
P – Julia Apostolakos, East Carolina
P – Arlette Hernandez, UTSA
C – Audrey Wilson, Charlotte
1B – Trinity Allen, Wichita State
2B – Kammie Smith, Wichita State
SS – Hannah Dorsett, UAB
3B – Jenna Lord, Charlotte
OF – Ashlyn Shirah, UAB
OF – Alexa Galligani, South Florida
OF – Samantha Mundine, UTSA
DP/U/Non-P – Faith Brown, Memphis
All-Freshman Team
P – Sydney Rainford, East Carolina
OF – Toryn Fulton, South Florida
P – Arlette Hernandez, UTSA
C – Brookelynn Meador, UTSA
2B – Kammie Smith, Wichita State
3B – Kinzey Woody, Wichita State*
* denotes unanimous selection