Arkansas’ Ellis and Wyckoff named to USA Softball’s Player of the Year watch list

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas will begin the 2025 season in two weeks with two players on the national player of the year watch list.

Razorback first baseman Bri Ellis and utility player Kailey Wyckoff were two of the 53 players listed in the running Wednesday for the sport’s best collegiate player.

Ellis, who transferred from Auburn, had a monster first campaign last season for her new team with a career-high .322 batting average with 14 homers and 47 RBIs.

Wyckoff, who was also named a D1 Softball preseason second-team All-American on Wednesday, is a transfer from Texas Tech.

She hit .407 with 7 homers and 35 RBIs for the Red Raiders in 2024 while being named a first-team All Big 12 selection for the second year in a row.

Wyckoff had a 15 multi-hit games and a 24-game hitting streak last season while being used as a catcher, infielder and outfielder.

She upped her productivity in conference play while hitting .441, which was second in the Big 12.

Wyckoff was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2023 while batting. 393 with 9 homer runs and 31 RBIs.

Arkansas will enter the season ranked 10th nationally in the D1 Softball preseason poll and 13th in both the Softball America and ESPN/USA Softball rankings.

Wyckoff is the seventh Razorback – all second team selections – to earn D1 Softball All-American status since the publication’s inception in 2020.

The others were Bri Ellis (2024), Nia Carter (2024), Hannah Gammill and Chenise Delce (2023), current assistant coach Danielle Gibson (2022) and Hannah McEwen (2020) as Razorbacks earning the honor.

Softball American has three Arkansas players in its top 100 college standouts with Ellis (41), Wyckoff (61) and outfielder Reagan Johnson (73).

Arkansas is set to to open its season Feb. 6 with host Texas State in a four-team tournament in San Marco, Texas.

The Razorbacks face Texas State Thursday at 5 p.m. and then face Lipscomb (1:15 p.m.) and Bradley (3:30 p.m.) on Friday before finishing up on Saturday by facing Bradley (10 a.m.) and San Diego (12:30 p.m.).

Photo courtesy of Razorbacks Communications