Gray and Williams Selected as First-Team All-American’s
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On Wednesday morning, the NAIA announced their postseason softball honors, and the battery of Jaclyn Gray and Sophie Williams became the 19th and 20th All-American selections in program history. Gray and Williams were honored among the best players in the nation and each landed on the first-team of selections.
JACLYN GRAY
1st TEAM NAIA ALL-AMERICAN - 1st TEAM NFCA ALL-AMERICAN - SAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR - 1st TEAM ALL-SAC
The first-team NFCA and NAIA All-American honors come after Gray ranked second in the country in runs batted in, eighth in doubles, 16th in hits, 18th in homeruns, and 19th in slugging percentage.
In mid-May, Jaclyn Gray became the fourth player in program history to earn the Sooner Athletic Conference's top honor for a position player. During the regular season, the SAC awarded Gray as the Player of the Week on three separate occasions. Gray improved her numbers astronomically from the 2022 season, when she earned her first, first-team All-SAC selection.
In 2023, Gray produced an incredible .413 batting average, along with 76 hits, 21 doubles, four triples, 11 homeruns, 47 runs scored, and 79 runs batted in. Furthermore, the senior catcher owns a phenomenal .750 slugging percentage and a .440 on base percentage. Her 79 RBIs are a new program record for a single-season.
This season, Gray led the Sooner Athletic Conference in hits, homeruns, runs batted in, and slugging percentage, while ranking second in doubles and batting average.
In her historic career at USAO, Gray appeared in 107 games, recording 128 hits, 38 doubles, four triples, 16 homers, 77 runs scored, and 118 RBIs.
SOPHIE WILLIAMS
1st TEAM NAIA ALL-AMERICAN – SAC CO-PITCHER OF THE YEAR - 1st TEAM ALL-SAC
Sophie Williams extended the incredible streak of a USAO pitcher being selected as the Sooner Athletic Conference's Pitcher of the Year award winner. A Drover has earned at least a share of the award for six consecutive seasons, after Emily Cerny earned the recognition in each of the previous five campaigns.
The All-American honor is the second of Williams short career, after earning a second-team NAIA All-American selection and a first-team All-SAC selection as a freshman in 2022.
In 2023, Williams looked like a seasoned veteran as a sophomore, delivering a 24-8 record, which included 10 shutouts, a perfect game, and a no-hitter. Additionally, she produced a 1.35 earned run average and 252 strikeouts in 223.1 innings pitched. For her numerous impressive performances, she was selected as the SAC Pitcher of the Week three times.
Among conference ranks, Williams led the SAC in strikeouts and earned run average, as well as ranked second in wins. She ranks third in the NAIA in innings, eighth in wins, and 9th strikeouts and 18th in ERA.
In her career, she has appeared in 73 games and owns a 42-13 win-loss record, which includes four no-hit performances (2 no-hitters, 2 perfect games). Williams boasts a sterling career ERA of 1.44 and she has struck out 438 batters in 364.2 innings pitched.
FULL LIST OF NAIA SOFTBALL ALL-AMERICAN'S
- Jaclyn Gray (2023 – 1st team)
- Sophie Williams (2023 – 2nd team)
- Emily Cerny (2022 – 1st team)
- Macenzie Ruth (2022 – 1st team)
- Sophie Williams (2022 – 2nd team)
- Emily Cerny (2021 – 1st team)
- Savannah Ashford (2021 – 2nd team)
- Emily Cerny (2019 – 1st team)
- Kristen Prieto (2019 – 1st team)
- Randa Hatter (2019 – 2nd team)
- Emily Cerny (2018 – 1st team)
- Chloe Clifton (2018- 1st team)
- Randa Hatter (2018 – 2nd team)
- Summer Leitka (2015 – 1st team)
- Leslie Beaty (2009 – 1st team)
- Dana Askins (2005 – 1st team)
- Kendra Gregory – 2005
- Crystal Judkins – 2005
- Dana Askins (2004 – 1st team)
- Jamie Pendley (2004 – 2nd team)
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