Roberts And Stephens Named To NFCA Players And Pitchers To Watch List

LOUISVILLE, Ky.-  One-hundred-eighteen student-athletes from across the country were named to the 2026 NFCA Division III Pitcher and Player of the Year watchlist on Thursday afternoon.  The list is separated into the 10 NCAA regions and is compiled by the elected members of the NFCA Division III All-America Committee with one head coach representing each of the 10 NCAA regions.

Huntingdon saw 2 representatives on the Region VI list in Allie Roberts and Kylie Stephens, each of whom are juniors in their third season in the Scarlet & Grey. 

Roberts, Huntingdon's starting pitcher and Auburn, Alabama native, has been voted the CCS Pitcher of the Week one time this season and leads the league in nearly every stat in the circle. Boasting a 1.03 ERA with 86 strikeouts, 9 wins, 2 saves, and an opposing batting average of .161, Roberts' composure in the circle has played a vital role in the nationall-ranked #8 Hawks success. 

Stephens has had a remarkably impactful season for the Hawks at the plate thus far. The Marianna, Florida native is batting at a .403 average while tacking on 14 runs, 30 RBI's, 4 doubles, 1 triple, and 1 home run to anchor a Huntingdon offense that has scored over 160 runs on the year. 

Headlining the list are 16 returning NFCA All-Americans, four from the first team, four from the second team, and eight from the third. Both Trine's Debbie Hill and Williams' Sadie Leonard are three-time All-America honorees, while four others on the list — Bowdoin's Anika Ewert, Trine's Tyra Marcum, Simpson's Ashlyn Steen and Makayla Steffes of Saint Mary's — are two-time All-Americans. Last year's NFCA Freshman of the Year, Lilly Goldberg of Swarthmore, is also on the list.

Top-ranked Virginia Wesleyan has the most players of any school on the list, with six.

Voted on by the NFCA's Division III All-America Committee, the 2026 NFCA Player and NFCA/Portolite Pitcher of the Year winners will be announced on May 27 prior to the start of the NCAA Division III World Series.

Student-athletes do not have to be on this watchlist to be considered for end-of-season awards, which will be voted on by the members of the NFCA Division III All-America Committee. To be eligible to be selected for NFCA Player and NFCA/Portolite Pitcher of the Year honors, a student-athlete's head coach must be a member.

The NFCA Player of the Year award was created in 2016 to honor outstanding softball achievement in NCAA Division III. In 2019, the Association expanded the award to include separate Player and Pitcher of the Year honors.