April 2, 2026

Akins, Cecil named to NFCA DII Player and Pitcher of the Year Watchlist

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – One hundred and eighteen student-athletes from across the country were revealed as part of the 2026 NFCA Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year watchlist.

Mars Hill junior pitcher Kamryn Akins and freshman second basemen Sadie Cecil were named to the list. They are the only pair from a South Atlantic Conference school to be named from the same institution, and one of three pairs of schools that had two players listed.

Akins boasts an 11-2 record with a 1.52 ERA, which leads the SAC. She has 111 strikeouts on the year, currently second in the league. She was named South Atlantic Conference Pitcher of the Week on March 24.

Cecil leads the team with a .413 batting average, with 43 hits, 36 RBI, nine doubles, and 33 runs scored; all tops within the Lions' program. She currently sits fifth in the SAC with 36 runs driven in. Cecil was named the SAC Player of the Week on March 17.

The list is broken down into the eight NCAA Regions (Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast and West) with up to 15 student-athletes represented in each region. The list is compiled by the elected members of the NFCA Division II All-American Committee with one head coach representing each of the eight NCAA regions. To be eligible, a student-athlete's head coach must be a member.

Voted on by the NFCA's Division II All-American Committee, the 2026 NFCA Player of the Year and NFCA/Portolite Pitcher of the Year will be announced on May 27, a day prior to the start of the NCAA Division II National Championships. All student-athletes are eligible for the end-of-the-season award and do not have to be on this list to be considered.

To read the full release, please click here.

Kamryn	Akins	P	Jr.	Mars Hill University	SAC	Southeast
Macauley	Bailey	1B	Sr.	Carson-Newman University	SAC	Southeast
Emily	Blackwell	SS	Jr.	North Greenville University	CC	Southeast
Sadie	Cecil	2B	Fr.	Mars Hill University	SAC	Southeast
Taelor	Chang	DP	Sr.	University of South Carolina Beaufort	PBC	Southeast
Brianna	Gallagher	IF/OF	Sr.	Catawba College	SAC	Southeast
Carson	Hobbs	P/DP	Sr.	Anderson University	SAC	Southeast
Emma	King	IF	So.	University of Mount Olive	CC	Southeast
Julia	Moore	P	So.	Young Harris College	CC	Southeast
Chloe	Poss	P	Sr.	University of North Georgia	PBC	Southeast
Sydnee	Reeves	OF	Sr.	University of North Georgia	PBC	Southeast
Aubree	Ussery	OF/1B	So.	Columbus State University	PBC	Southeast
Jenna	Walling	P	Gr.	Francis Marion University	CC	Southeast
Madalyn	White	OF	Sr.	Francis Marion University	CC	Southeast
Madison	Wilson	P	Jr.	Lenoir-Rhyne College	SAC	Southeast