Thanks to the NCAA’s extended eligibility waiver after the 2020 season’s abrupt cancellation, terms like “super senior” have entered the vocabulary of college softball fans. Different schools have taken different approaches to how they describe their players’ eligibility.
“Senior” could apply to a 5th-year, a graduate student, a COVID-related ‘super senior’ or a traditional 4th-year player. For this list, we centered only on true seniors – those in their 4th seasons of eligibility. Here are eight of the Best in Class entering their true senior years.
Baylee Klingler, Washington
An All-American in 2021, Klingler hit a home run to lead off the season last year and that set the tone for her season. She ended the year with a .416 batting average and sixteen home runs.
Mack Leonard, Florida State
In three years at Illinois State, Leonard played on both sides of the ball. She batted .405 during her years as a Redbird and made 51 appearances in the circle.
Lexi Osowski, Austin Peay
The everyday third baseman for the Govs for the last three seasons, Osowski was a first-team all-conference selection in 2021. She batted .425 on the year, leading the Ohio Valley Conference.
Ari Castillo, Rhode Island
Despite her team’s limited action in 2021, Castillo finished in the top 30 nationally with a .431 batting average. She led her team in eight offensive categories, including a .512 on-base percentage.
Kassidy Wilbur, Stephen F. Austin
Wilbur was the Southland Player and Pitcher of the Year last season, finishing second in the nation with 30 wins. She posted a 1.08 ERA and 274 strikeouts with sixteen shutouts.
Courtney Coppersmith, UMBC
Coppersmith threw 151 innings of work last season, recording 19 wins and a 0.93 ERA. She also batted .313 at the plate, recording three home runs and nineteen RBIs.
Ashley Rogers, Tennessee
Despite being plagued by injuries during her career to this point, Rogers is one of the best in the circle in the SEC. She finished last season with 26 wins, an SEC-leading 1.32 ERA, and a .132 opponent’s batting average.
Alex Storako, Michigan
Storako combines with Meghan Beaubien for one of the nation’s best 1-2 combos in the circle up in Ann Arbor. She finished the 2021 season with a 22-3 record, a 1.05 ERA, and earned unanimous Big Ten Pitcher of the Year honors after the season.
