HADLEY, Mass. - In a vote by the NESCAC coaches, Sydney Fleming of Williams was selected as the NESCAC Player of the Year, while teammate Sadie Leonard was named the NESCAC Pitcher of the Year. Bowdoin's Anika Ewert was selected as the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year and Wesleyan's Jacelyn Lees is the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. The Wesleyan staff was voted the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year by its peers.
Fleming, a three-time All-NESCAC honoree, has hit 21 homers this season to lead the NESCAC and ranks second among Division III hitters. Her solo home run in the bottom of the seventh forced extra innings in the NESCAC Quarterfinal versus Bowdoin. Fleming is hitting .392 with a .967 slugging percentage and 1.423 OPS for the season. She has knocked out 47 hits, scored 30 runs, and leads the NESCAC with 52 RBI. Fleming is the seventh Eph to be named NESCAC Player of the Year. The Ephs were the No. 2 seed in the NESCAC Tournament and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Leonard is the NESCAC Pitcher of the Year for the third consecutive season. The Eph is one of three players in conference history to earn the honor three straight years since 2001. Leonard leads the league in ERA (1.11) and strikeouts (238) in 132.1 innings of work. The junior has 16 wins in the circle, tied for the most in the NESCAC, and is limiting opposing hitters to a .141 batting average. Leonard, the 2023 NESCAC Co-Rookie of the Year, was an All-NESCAC First Team selection for the third year in a row.
Ewert, the NESCAC Player of the Year in 2024, adds the Defensive Player of the Year accolade to her collection. The junior, who is the first Polar Bear to earn the Defensive Player of the Year honor, also earned a spot on the All-NESCAC First Team for the second straight year. Ewert posted a .988 fielding percentage in the outfield for the Polar Bears. Offensively, she owns the second-best batting average in the conference at .490 with an on-base percentage of .523 and an OPS of 1.082. Ewert also led the NESCAC in hits (71) and stolen bases (36) and tied for the lead in runs scored (46). Bowdoin, the No. 7 seed in the NESCAC Championship, earned an extra-inning win over No. 2 Williams in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals for the second year in a row.
Lees is the third Wesleyan player to be selected as the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. The newcomer ranked third among NESCAC pitchers with a 1.60 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 62 strikeouts in 100.1 innings of work. Lees earned 14 wins in the circle, the second-most in the conference. The rookie was also named to the All-NESCAC First Team. Lees helped the Cardinals earn a 4-3 win over Bowdoin in the NESCAC Semifinals and advance to the championship game for the first time since 2010.
The Wesleyan coaching staff was voted as the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year by their peers, marking the third time the Cardinal coaches have been recognized. Guided by head coach Jen Lane and assistant Jill Karwoski, Wesleyan registered its most wins in team history (29), the best single-season win percentage (.707), won the Little Three title for the third time, and posted the best start in program history (10-0) during the 2025 campaign.
2025 NESCAC Softball Awards
Player of the Year: Sydney Fleming, Williams
Pitcher of the Year: Sadie Leonard, Williams
Defensive Player of the Year: Anika Ewert, Bowdoin
Rookie of the Year: Jacelyn Lees, Wesleyan
Coaching Staff of the Year: Wesleyan University (Jen Lane, Jill Karwoski)
| All-NESCAC First Team |
| Pos - Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| C - Isabel Bettencourt |
Bates |
So. |
Peabody, Mass. |
|
| C - Sydney Fleming |
Williams |
Sr. |
Burlingame, Calif. |
2024 2nd Team, 2023 1st Team |
| IF - Molly Lennon |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Litchfield, Conn. |
|
| IF - Taylor Mikolajczak |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Johns Creek, Ga. |
2024 1st Team, 2023 2nd Team, 2022 ROY, 2022 1st Team |
| IF - Kaitlyn Perucci |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Coto De Caza, Calif. |
2024 1st Team |
| OF - Kristyn Carroll |
Middlebury |
Jr. |
Kinnelon, N.J. |
2024 1st Team, 2023 1st Team |
| OF - Carissa Cassidy |
Colby |
Jr. |
Columbus, Ind. |
2024 2nd Team, 2023 2nd Team |
| OF - Anika Ewert |
Bowdoin |
Jr. |
Newport Coast, Calif. |
2024 POY, 2024 1st Team |
| P - Sophia DiCocco |
Tufts |
Gr. |
Bozrah, Conn. |
2024 1st Team, 2023 1st Team, 2022 PIOY, 2022 1st Team, 2021 ROY, 2021 1st Team |
| P - Jacelyn Lees |
Wesleyan |
Fy. |
Watauga, Texas |
|
| P - Sadie Leonard |
Williams |
Jr. |
Tiburon, Calif. |
2024 PIOY, 2024 1st Team, 2023 PIOY, 2023 Co-ROY, 2023 1st Team |
| P/DP/OF - Abby Orso |
Wesleyan |
Gr. |
York, Maine |
2024 1st Team, 2022 1st Team |
| P - Delaney Rankin |
Bates |
Jr. |
Harrison, Maine |
|
| P/UT - Emma Tansky |
Hamilton |
Sr. |
Collegeville, Pa. |
2024 2nd Team |
|
|
|
|
|
| All-NESCAC Second Team |
| Pos - Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| C - Keriann Slayton |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Mechanicsville, Va. |
|
| IF - Alysa DeQuiroz |
Williams |
Jr. |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
|
| IF - Chloe Garcia |
Bowdoin |
Jr. |
Bakersfield, Calif. |
|
| IF - Bela Jimenez |
Tufts |
Gr. |
Oak Park, Calif. |
2023 1st Team |
| IF - Lulu Leppard |
Amherst |
Fy. |
Nashua, N.H. |
|
| IF - Ella Maher |
Bates |
Jr. |
Newton, Mass. |
|
| IF - Heaven Oliva |
Tufts |
So. |
Ventura, Calif. |
|
| IF - Emma Yen |
Bates |
Jr. |
Albertson, N.Y. |
2024 2nd Team |
| OF - Rebecca Cassel-Siskind |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
|
| OF - Kyla Gary |
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
San Diego, Calif. |
|
| OF - Alexis Mayer |
Hamilton |
Jr. |
Woodcliff Lake, N.J. |
|
| OF/P - Dani Torres Werra |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Merced, Calif. |
2023 2nd Team, 2022 2nd Team |
| P/IF - Katie Blanch |
Williams |
So. |
Rye, N.Y. |
2024 1st Team |
| P/DP - Isabella Secaira-Cotto |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Valley Stream, N.Y. |
2024 1st Team, 2022 2nd Team |
