Senior Kendra Falby and freshman Taylor Shumaker were named as finalists for one of the most prestigious awards in college softball.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Senior Kendra Falby and freshman Taylor Shumaker of the Florida softball team were named 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 25 Finalists, the organization announced on Wednesday.
Both Falby and Shumaker are having standout seasons for the No. 9/7 Gators.
Falby, who is batting a team-best .456, ranks third in the NCAA in hits (78), fifth in runs scored (61) and 10th in stolen bases (34).
She’s recorded seven doubles, two triples, two home runs, and driven in a single-season career-best 31 runs with 24 walks.
The senior outfielder from Odessa, Fla., holds a .523 on-base percentage, and has just eight strikeouts in 171 at bats this season.
Shumaker, an outfielder from Fullerton, Calif., ranks fourth in the nation in RBI (71), the most of any Power 4 freshman, and eighth in runs scored (60).
She is batting .365 with a team-best 16 doubles, a triple, 16 home runs 17 stolen base and 27 walks.
Of her 62 hits, 53% have gone for extra bases, holding a .753 slugging percentage.
Shumaker set new Florida freshman records for both RBI and doubles and is three home runs shy of matching the program’s freshman record for home runs.
Lauren Haeger and Kelly Barnhill are the only Gators to have won the prestigious award.
Haeger earned the title in 2015 after leading Florida to the program’s second national championship and Barnhill secured the honor after having a historic season in 2017.
The Top 25 Finalists will be narrowed down to 10 athletes on May 14, followed by the Top 3 Finalists set to be released on May 19.
The 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series, which is scheduled to take place from May 29-June 6 in Oklahoma City.
