Ranking the 9 best players in the 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament, including Jordy Bahl

The 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament begins in earnest on Friday with the first pitches being tossed at 12 p.m. ET. Howard visits No. 14 Duke, while South Florida takes on Auburn at the regional in Tallahassee, Florida.

If you’re just catching up and tuning in to college softball for the first time this season, there are several players worth watching. Some of them are superb at stealing bases, while others are stellar at striking out opponents. Others place their expertise in sending the ball way over the fence, or throwing out would-be base runners from behind the plate.

Here are the nine players in the tournament this season that you should keep an eye on as the road to Oklahoma City begins.

No one steals bases this season like Luschar, a redshirt senior from Carson City, Nevada. She’s swiped 54 bags this season, which leads the country. She was named to the All-Big Ten First Team and is second for the Ducks in batting average (.404) and total hits (69).

A junior left-handed hitter, Kern has hit a program record 19 home runs this season, which is pretty good in a program as decorated as Stanford’s, which has been to eight Super Regionals in the last 20 years. She’s also second in the ACC in slugging percentage with a .809 mark. Kern’s play at the plate is a big reason why the Cardinal ranks second nationally in batting average with a .357 mark.

The fifth-year infielder has driven in more runs than any other player this season with 83, which is a single-season program record for North Carolina and ties the ACC record. The bat of Rodriguez was a crucial ingredient for the Tar Heels’ success this season, in which they earned an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since 2019. Rodriguez is third in the ACC in total hits with 77 and is 11th nationally in batting average with a .453 mark.

The redshirt senior is a force at the plate and behind it. Not only does she do a superb job of catching the Seminoles’ elite pitching staff — which ranks ninth nationally in ERA at 2.23 — but she’s a veteran bat in FSU’s lineup that often comes up with big hits. The 6-foot-1 native of Sneads, Florida, has 52 career home runs, has struck out a career-low 18 times this season and has hit a career-best 13 doubles this year.

The native of Weaverville, North Carolina, became just the seventh player in SEC history this season to win the conference’s Pitcher of the Year award multiple times. Pickens went 20-8 from the circle and has the third-best ERA in the country at 0.92. She ranks 10th nationally in strikeouts per seven innings with 9.3. In the SEC — which had seven teams earn top-eight seeds in the tournament — Pickens went 11-4, tossing three shutouts.

One of the best pitchers in the sport, the redshirt junior is a big reason why the Bruins are in the NCAA Tournament. She’s fifth nationally in ERA with a mark of 1.24 and ranks high amongst all players in the country in several other statistics too. She’s fifth in complete games (23), second in hits allowed per seven innings (3.66), first in shutouts (11), first in strikeout-to-walk ratio (18.68), and first in total strikeouts (355). While she plays at a mid-major program, Johnson shouldn’t be overlooked. There’s a case to be made that she’s the best pitcher in the country.

Bahl is the first player to ever be named Big Ten Player and Pitcher of the Year in the same season. She ranks in the top 10 nationally in both ERA (1.57) and batting average (.458). She also ranks 11th in OPS (1.486) and at the plate has piled up 19 home runs, 16 doubles and 71 hits. From the circle, she ranks fourth nationally in hits allowed per seven innings (3.89), sixth in shutouts with seven, and fifth in total strikeouts with 254. Bahl is a crucial difference-maker and does it all for the Huskers at a very high level.

The reigning National Player of the Year, Canady transferred from Stanford to Texas Tech last offseason and hasn’t missed a beat with the Red Raiders. She has a 26-5 record this season, leads the nation in ERA with a 0.81 mark, and has powered Texas Tech to its first-ever hosting bid in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament. With Canady leading the way, the Red Raiders easily won the Big 12 Tournament, outscoring their opponents 26-0 in three games. She’s fourth nationally in total strikeouts with 263. She’s adjusted well to a dual role too, batting .309 this season with eight homers and 30 RBI.

Arguably the best hitter in college softball, Ellis is putting up numbers this season that can be compared to MVP seasons from Barry Bonds. Division I’s active leader in career home runs with 74, Ellis was named SEC Player of the Year and is a strong candidate for the National Player of the Year award. She ranks second nationally in home runs this season (26), fourth in batting average (.475), seventh in RBI (72), and second in walks with 58. She also ranks first in the country in on-base percentage with a mark of .649. Opposing pitchers will do everything they can to avoid pitching to Ellis.