HADLEY, Mass. - In a vote by the NESCAC coaches, Kristyn Carroll of Middlebury was selected as the NESCAC Player of the Year, while Sadie Leonard of Williams was named the NESCAC Pitcher of the Year. Tufts’ Haley Leimbach was selected as the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year, and teammate Paige Murphy is the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. The Middlebury staff was voted the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year by its peers.
Carroll, who earned her fourth consecutive All-NESCAC First Team honor, ranks among the NESCAC leaders in a host of categories. The outfield is hitting .510 (2nd in the NESCAC) and slugging 1.295 (3rd in the NESCAC), while leading the league in hits (73) and triples (10). She also ranks second in on-base percentage (.547), runs scored (48), and stolen bases (34). Carroll contributed to Middlebury’s NESCAC Championship by batting .545 with four runs scored and an RBI in the conference tournament. Carroll is the third Panther to be named NESCAC Player of the Year (2019 – Melanie Mandell, 2022 – Noelle Ruschil). Middlebury will travel to Tufts for an NCAA Regional.
Leonard is the NESCAC Pitcher of the Year for the fourth consecutive season, joining former Tufts standout Allyson Fournier as the only two players in league history to win the honor four straight years. The Eph leads the league in ERA (1.50), wins (15), innings pitched (135.2), and strikeouts (231). The senior limited opposing hitters to a .191 batting average and earned five shutouts. Leonard was an All-NESCAC First Team selection for the fourth year in a row.
Leimbach, is the ninth player in the Tufts program to garner the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year honor. The senior has played first and third base for the Jumbos this season and has 305 put-outs to lead the NESCAC. In 323 total chances this season, Leimbach has just two errors for a .994 fielding percentage. Leimbach is also contributing at the plate with a .345 average and 50 hits.
Murphy is the 11th Jumbo to earn the NESCAC Rookie of the Year honor and the first field player since Raven Fournier in 2015. The first year ranks fourth in the NESCAC with a .450 average and leads the league in doubles (16). Murphy also owns top 10 marks in slugging (.671), on-base percentage (.503), runs scored (38), and home runs (5). Defensively, Murphy’s 122 assists at shortstop lead the NESCAC. Murphy, who also garnered a spot on the All-NESCAC First Team, helped the Jumbos earn the top seed in the NESCAC Softball Championship and advance to the semifinals. Tufts will host an NCAA Tournament Regional at Spicer Field.
The Middlebury coaching staff was voted as the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year by their peers, marking the second time in three years and third time overall that the Panther coaches have been recognized. Guided by head coach Kelly Bevere, who is in her 25th year at the helm, and assistants Raeanna Dunn and Lilah Desabrasi, Middlebury won its second NESCAC title and first since 2011. The Panthers, who earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, own a program-best 33-8 record heading into a regional at Tufts.
2026 NESCAC Softball Awards
Player of the Year: Kristyn Carroll, Middlebury
Pitcher of the Year: Sadie Leonard, Williams
Defensive Player of the Year: Haley Leimbach, Tufts
Rookie of the Year: Paige Murphy, Tufts
Coaching Staff of the Year: Middlebury (Kelly Bevere, Raeanna Dunn, Lilah Desabrais)
| All-NESCAC First Team |
| Pos - Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| OF - Abigail Alper |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Weston, Fla. |
|
| OF - Kristyn Carroll |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Kinnelon, N.J. |
2025 1st Team, 2024 1st Team, 2023 1st Team |
| OF - Carissa Cassidy |
Colby |
Sr. |
Columbus, Ind. |
2025 1st Team, 2024 2nd Team, 2023 2nd Team |
| OF - Anika Ewert |
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
Newport Coast, Calif. |
2025 DPOY, 2025 1st Team, 2024 POY, 2024 1st Team |
| UT - Lauryn Horita |
Tufts |
Sr. |
San Mateo, Calif. |
|
| IF - Molly Lennon |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Litchfield, Conn. |
2025 1st Team |
| P - Sadie Leonard |
Williams |
Sr. |
Tiburon, Calif. |
2025 PIOY, 2025 1st Team, 2024 PIOY, 2024 1st Team, 2023 PIOY, 2023 Co-ROY, 2023 1st Team |
| UT - Lulu Leppard |
Amherst |
So. |
Nashua, N.H. |
2025 2nd Team |
| P - Sophia Meade |
Colby |
So. |
Guilford, Conn. |
|
| IF/P - Paige Murphy |
Tufts |
Fy. |
San Anselmo, Calif. |
|
| C/IF - Heaven Oliva |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Ventura, Calif. |
2025 2nd Team |
| C/IF - Maddie Paschke |
Bowdoin |
So. |
Norfolk, Mass. |
|
| UT - Kaitlyn Perucci |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Coto De Caza, Calif. |
2025 1st Team, 2024 1st Team |
| P - Sharlotte Stazinski |
Colby |
Fy. |
Walpole, Mass. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| All-NESCAC Second Team |
| Pos - Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| C/IF - Isabel Bettencourt |
Bates |
Jr. |
Peabody, Mass. |
2025 1st Team |
| P/UT - Katie Blanch |
Williams |
Jr. |
Rye, N.Y. |
2025 2nd Team, 2024 ROY, 2024 1st Team |
| OF - Rebecca Cassel-Siskind |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
2025 2nd Team |
| P - Emily Dowd |
Middlebury |
Fy. |
Fairfield, Conn. |
|
| IF - Olivia Fleming |
Middlebury |
So. |
Burlingame, Calif. |
|
| IF - Emily Goddard |
Trinity |
Jr. |
Danvers, Mass. |
|
| P - Avery Kanouse |
Tufts |
Fy. |
Elmhurst, Ill. |
|
| UT - Juliana Kiley |
Colby |
Jr. |
Natick, Mass. |
|
| OF - Sidney Miller |
Williams |
Sr. |
Miramar, Fla. |
2023 2nd Team |
| IF - Rosie Panenka |
Bowdoin |
So. |
Freeport, Maine |
|
| P/IF - Victoria Ramirez |
Colby |
Sr. |
Ontario, Calif. |
|
| P - Delaney Rankin |
Bates |
Sr. |
Harrison, Maine |
2025 1st Team |
| C/IF - Makenna True |
Trinity |
Jr. |
Hooksett, N.H. |
|
| C - Jen Westphal |
Middlebury |
Sr. |
Westport, Conn. |
|
