Four Ohio Valley Conference softball student-athletes were named to National Fast Pitch Association (NFCA) All-Region teams. Eastern Illinois' McKenzie Oslanzie and Kendall Grover were named to the All-Great Lakes second team, while Southeast Missouri’s Sydney Dennis and Western Illinois’ Payton Brown received spots on the All-Midwest third team.
Oslanzi earned second team All-Region for the second straight year at pitcher after being named the 2025 OVC Pitcher of the Year. She was named to the OVC All-Tournament team helping the Panthers secure their second NCAA Tournament bid. Oslanzi led the OVC with 20 wins with a 2.40 ERA. The sophomore had 132 strikeouts in 205 innings of work in the circle. Oslanzi was even more dominant in OVC play with a 13-5 with a 1.71 ERA.
Grover earned All-Region honors at third base for the third straight season becoming the second player in program history to earn All-Region three times (Haley Mitchell). The junior was the 2025 OVC Player of the Year becoming the first player to earn the award in back-to-back years in conference history. She was named to the OVC All-Tournament team and finished the season hitting .416 with an OPS of 1.271 and on-base percentage of .516. Grover led EIU with ten home runs adding 18 doubles, three triples and 34 RBI. She led the OVC this season with 33 walks.
Dennis garnered First-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference accolades, ranking third in the league with a .404 batting average. She led the Redhawks in batting average, hits (65), runs (36), triples (3) and total bases (84). Dennis also ranked second on the team in doubles (13), on-base percentage (.438) and stolen bases (14). The senior accumulated a team-high 21 multiple-hit games and knocked in multiple runs on eight occasions. Dennis' team-best 18-game hitting streak rated among the longest in NCAA Division I softball this season, as well.
Brown was named to the All-OVC First Team and was selected the 2025 OVC Co-Player of the Year. The sophomore led the OVC in several offensive categories during conference play including hits (48), doubles (13), total bases (89), slugging percentage (.908), and tied for first in home runs (8). She tied the program record for most home runs in a single game in an outing against Tennessee State (4/7) where she hit three home runs including a grand slam.
The awards honor softball student-athletes from the Association’s 10 regions with first, second and third-team selections. NFCA member head coaches from each respective region nominated student-athletes (eight maximum) and voted for the teams. All awarded student-athletes now become eligible for the 2025 NFCA Division I All-America squads. The 2025 NFCA Division I All-America teams, voted on by the NFCA DI All-American Committee, will be announced in late May.
Great Lakes Region
Second Team
P - McKenzie Oslanzi, Eastern Illinois
3B - Kendall Grover, Eastern Illinois
Midwest Region
Third Team
SS - Sydney Dennis, Southeast Missouri
SS - Payton Brown, Western Illinois