Eastern Illinois' Kendall Grover and Western Illinois’ Payton Brown shared the 2025 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year award while EIU’s McKenzie Oslanzi was tabbed the 2025 OVC Pitcher of the Year as voted on by the league's head coaches and communication directors. SIUE's Avery Arwood earned OVC Freshman of the Year honors while Ben Sorden was named the OVC Coach of the Year.
Grover becomes the second person to win two OVC Player of the Year awards (Jessica Twaddle, Murray State - 2015 and 2017) and is the first to win in consecutive seasons. The junior shared the top honors in 2024 with SIUE's Paige Rocha. A native of Mooresville, Ind., Grover, had a league-leading 29 runs scored, 20 walks and a .543 on base percentage with just four strikeouts in OVC play. She had the second highest batting average in league play hitting at a .439 clip and had an .841 slugging percentage in conference action to rank second. The All-OVC first team pick finished in the top five of the league with 36 hits (3rd), seven home runs (3rd), two triples (2nd) and a .841 slugging percentage (2nd) in conference play. She also earned first team honors for the third consecutive year.
Brown, a native of Taylor Ridge, Ill., led the OVC in batting average (.490), slugging percentage (.908), hits (48), doubles (13) and tied for the lead in home runs with eight while striking out just four times. She finished in the top five in runs (23), RBI (26), triples (2) and on base percentage (.523). Brown was also named to the All-OVC first team and all-newcomer team.
A product of Marseilles, Ill., Oslanzi finished OVC play with a league-leading 13 wins while ranking second with a 1.71 ERA, tied for second with two saves and second with 94.1 innings pitched. This marks her second All-OVC first-team selection after being named 2024 All-OVC Freshman of the Year.
Arwood, a freshman pitcher from St. Joseph, Mich., finished conference play with an 8-1 record with two shutouts, a 1.93 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 58.0 innings of work while holding opposing batters to a .230 batting average. Her win total was tied for second in league play and was third with 19 punchouts looking. The hurler was also an All-OVC first team pick and an All-Newcomer selection.
Sorden earned his first OVC Coach of the Year honor after leading the Cougars to a 19-6 OVC record, 29-20 overall. SIUE placed second a year after finishing 19-35 and placing eighth with a 10-17 mark in conference play.
Joining Grover, Brown, Oslanzi and Arwood on the All-OVC first team are: Southeast Missouri senior catcher Sydney Melton (Eddyville, Ky.), senior infielder Sydney Dennis (Eureka, Mo.), junior outfielder Madison Winkler (Crofton, Ky.) and sophomore infielder Brooklyn Saysoff (Blue Springs, Mo); Eastern Illinois junior pitcher Karlie McKenzie (Cottage Grove, Wis.), sophomore outfielder Karson Davey (Montgomery, Ill.) and freshman designated player Morgan Hance (Clay City, Ill.); SIUE senior infielder Kaylynn Salyars (Muscatine, Iowa) and utility senior Piper Montgomery (Arnold, Mo.) and Morehead State’s sophomore outfielder Maddy Christopher.
Earning second team honors are: Southern Indiana junior outfielder Caroline Stapleton (Shirley, Ind.), utility freshman Jordan Mackey (Evansville, Ind.) and pitcher Kylie Witthaus (Jonesburg, Mo.); Lindenwood junior pitcher Avery Wapp (Bloomington, Ill.), junior catcher Tori Hatton (Troy, Mo.) and senior outfielder Nicole Henson (West Branch, Iowa); Morehead State sophomore infielders Kendra Lewis (Ankeny, Iowa) and Sela Pickford (Poquoson, Va.); Eastern Illinois graduate outfielder Abbey Crain (Carterville, Ill.), Southeast Missouri senior pitcher Delaney Kell (Salem, Ill.), SIUE senior infielder Emma Henderson (Battle Ground, Ind.), Tennessee State freshman designated player Hailey Hunt (Clermont, Fla.), Tennessee Tech senior infielder Sydney Kirby (Cypress, Texas) and UT Martin graduate infielder Alli Robinson (Buckhannon, W. Va.).
Joining Brown, Arwood, Hance, Hunt, Winkler, Mackey and Witthaus on the All-Newcomer team are: Eastern Illinois freshman Abbi Hatton, Lindenwood junior Ryleigh Owens, SIUE junior Kaylin Fahy, Tennessee State sophomore Jace Jackson and Western Illinois freshman Ruby Tarr.
2025 All-Ohio Valley Conference Softball Teams
2025 OVC CO-PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kendall Grover, Eastern Illinois
2025 OVC CO-PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Payton Brown, Western Illinois
2025 OVC PITCHER OF THE YEAR: McKenzie Oslanzi, Eastern Illinois
2025 OVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Avery Arwood, SIUE
2025 OVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Ben Sorden, SIUE
FIRST TEAM
P - McKenzie Oslanzi, Eastern Illinois - So. - Marseilles, Ill.
P – Karlie McKenzie, Eastern Illinois – Jr. – Cottage Grove, Wis.
P – Avery Arwood, SIUE – Fr. – St. Joseph, Mich.
C – Sydney Melton, Southeast Missouri – Sr. – Eddyville, Ky.
IF - Kendall Grover, Eastern Illinois – Jr. – Mooresville, Ind.
IF – Sydney Dennis, Southeast Missouri – Sr. – Eureka, Mo.
IF – Kaylynn Salyars, SIUE – Sr. – Muscatine, Iowa
IF – Payton Brown, Western Illinois – So. – Taylor Ridge, Ill.
OF – Karson Davey, Eastern Illinois – So. – Montgomery, Ill.
OF – Maddy Christopher, Morehead State – So. – Marengo, Ill.
OF – Madison Winkler, Southeast Missouri – Jr. – Crofton, Ky.
DP – Morgan Hance, Eastern Illinois – Fr. – Clay City, Ill.
UTIL – Piper Montgomery, SIUE – Sr. – Arnold, Mo.
At-Large – Brooklyn Saysoff, Southeast Missouri – So. – Blue Springs, Mo.
SECOND TEAM
P – Avery Wapp, Lindenwood – Jr. – Bloomington, Ill.
P – Delaney Kell, Southeast Missouri – Sr. – Salem, Ill.
C – Tori Hatton, Lindenwood – Jr. – Troy, Mo.
IF – Kendra Lewis, Morehead State – So. – Ankeny, Iowa
IF – Sela Pickford, Morehead State – So. – Poquoson, Va.
IF – Emma Henderson, SIUE – Sr. – Battle Ground, Ind.
IF – Sydney Kirby, Tennessee Tech – Sr. – Cypress, Texas
OF – Abbey Crain, Eastern Illinois – Gr. – Carterville, Ill.
OF – Nicole Henson, Lindenwood – Sr. – West Branch, Iowa
OF – Caroline Stapleton, Southern Indiana – Jr. – Shirley, Ind.
DP – Hailey Hunt, Tennessee State – Fr. – Clermont, Fla.
UTIL – Jordan Mackey, Southern Indiana – Fr. – Evansville, Ind.
At-Large – Kylie Witthaus, Southern Indiana – Fr. – Jonesburg, Mo.
At-Large – Alli Robinson, UT Martin – Gr. – Buckhannon, W. Va.
ALL-NEWCOMER
Payton Brown, Western Illinois – So. – Taylor Ridge, Ill.
Avery Arwood, SIUE - Fr. – St. Joseph, Mich.
Morgan Hance, Eastern Illinois – Fr. – Clay City, Ill.
Madison Winkler, Southeast Missouri – Jr. – Crofton, Ky.
Hailey Hunt, Tennessee State – Fr. – Clermont, Fla.
Kylie Witthaus, Southern Indiana – Fr. – Jonesburg, Mo.
Ryleigh Owens, Lindenwood – Jr. – Edwardsville, Ill.
Jordan Mackey, Southern Indiana – Fr. – Evansville, Ind.
Abbi Hatton, Eastern Illinois – Fr. – Neoga, Ill.
Ruby Tarr, Western Illinois – Fr. – Sydney, Ill.
Jace Jackson, Tennessee State – So. – Locust Grove, Ga.
Kaylin Fahy, SIUE – Jr. – Niles, Ill.