Advertisement

Texas catcher Reese Atwood selected as finalist for USA Softball's player of the year

thomas jones, austin american-statesman
·2 min read

Reese Atwood, Texas' power-packed catcher, was selected for USA Softball’s collegiate player of the year top 25 finalists list, the organization announced Wednesday.

Atwood enters the Longhorns’ final regular-season series this weekend at Texas Tech batting .415 with a .465 on-base percentage and an .850 slugging percentage. She set Texas’ single-season RBI record of 70 last weekend, and she's one home run shy of Taylor Hoagland's single-season record of 18, set in 2012.

Texas' Reese Atwood runs to first base during the Longhorns' game against Oklahoma on April 5. The Longhorns catcher is on USA Softball's collegiate player of the year top 25 finalists list as No. 1 Texas closes out its regular season at Texas Tech.
Texas' Reese Atwood runs to first base during the Longhorns' game against Oklahoma on April 5. The Longhorns catcher is on USA Softball's collegiate player of the year top 25 finalists list as No. 1 Texas closes out its regular season at Texas Tech.

The national stats also reflect Atwood's dominance at the plate. She ranks second in the nation in RBIs behind Miami (Ohio) slugger Jenna Golembiewski, who has 75, and she's tied for 15th in home runs.

More: Texas softball's Reese Atwood lays the lumber to softball opponents | Bohls

The 25-member list will be narrowed to 10 players May 15 before the award’s three finalists will be announced May 20. The player of the year will be announced before the Women's College World Series, which will begin May 30 at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

Texas pitcher Cat Osterman is the only Longhorn to win the award, and she's also the nation's only three-time winner after claiming the honor in 2003, 2005 and 2006. Texas pitcher Blaire Luna was a three-time top 10 finalist in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Atwood is Texas' first top 25 finalist since infielder Janae Jefferson in 2021.

More: Outfielder Bella Dayton brings senior seasoning to young Texas softball team

Texas' Mia Scott looks to throw the ball after Texas State's Piper Randolph was ruled safe at third base during their April 10 game at McCombs Field. The Longhorns are battling Oklahoma and Oklahoma State for the Big 12 championship heading into the final three games of the regular season.
Texas' Mia Scott looks to throw the ball after Texas State's Piper Randolph was ruled safe at third base during their April 10 game at McCombs Field. The Longhorns are battling Oklahoma and Oklahoma State for the Big 12 championship heading into the final three games of the regular season.

Longhorns enter final regular-season series seeking title

Texas (42-6, 20-4 Big 12) will try to win its first regular-season Big 12 softball title since 2010 when it closes its schedule at Texas Tech, but it will need some help.

The No. 1 Longhorns enter this weekend trailing No. 2 Oklahoma by one game in the Big 12 standings, and they’re one game ahead of No. 4 Oklahoma State. And while Texas visits struggling Texas Tech, the Sooners and Oklahoma State will engage in one final conference round of their Bedlam series (6:30 p.m. Friday, FS1; noon Saturday, ESPN; 3 p.m. Sunday, ESPN2) before OU and the Longhorns leave for the SEC.

If Texas shares the regular-season title with OU, the Longhorns will enter the Big 12 Tournament on May 8-11 in Oklahoma City as the top seed since they beat the Sooners in their season series. However, if Oklahoma State ties Texas in the standings, the Cowgirls would get the tiebreaker because they won that season series.

If all three teams finish tied for the conference title, the league will use run differentials in conference games to determine the tournament seedings.

This weekend's series

No. 1 Texas (42-6, 20-4) at Texas Tech (28-17, 8-13), ESPN+, 6 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday, noon Sunday

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas softball's Reese Atwood finalist for player of the year