Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop softball garnered six Big South Conference honors including senior Megan Powell voted as the Player of the Year and sophomore Tia Beckham voted Newcomer of the Year, the league announced Tuesday afternoon.

Powell was also named First Team All-Conference while Beckham was voted to the Second Team All-Conference. Katie Beck was named to the Big South All-Freshman Team and junior Grayson Buckner was named to the All-Academic Team.

During the regular season Powell turned in strong performances in both the batter's box and the circle. She led the team with a .317 batting average to go along with 20 runs, six doubles, nine home runs, 21 walks and 32 RBI. Powell made 22 starts and 32 appearances in the circle, posting a 2.16 ERA and a 14-11 record to go along with 116 strikeouts, 73 walks, 15 complete games, and four shutouts in 146.0 innings pitched. Against conference competition she batted .373 with seven runs, three doubles, three homers and 14 RBI. In the circle she had a 1.77 ERA, was 7-4 and recorded two shutouts.  

It is the second straight year being voted First Team All-Conference for Powell, as she earned the Newcomer of the Year honor in 2024. ell is the first pitcher/designated player to earn the Player of the Year award since Longwood's Brooke Short in 2013. Powell becomes just the third Eagle in program history to earn the conference's top regular season honor. Lisa Kingsmore earned it back-to-back in 2008 and 2009 while Lisa (Kemme) Raio also had back-to-back seasons earning the honor (1990, 1991).

Beckham made a big impact in her first season as an Eagle as she tied for the team-lead in home runs with 10, led the Eagles in RBI with 37 to go along with a .279 batting average, 22 runs, and 11 doubles. Beckham led the team in conference play only with 18 RBI and batted .302. She was tied for the team-high in multi-hit games (9) and led in multi-RBI games with 11.

Beck enjoyed a strong first season as she batted .280 with 21 runs, five doubles, 10 home runs and 30 RBI. Her 10 home runs broke the program record for the most by a freshman, previously held by Winthrop Hall of Famer Tessa Thomas. She is four RBI shy of tying the freshman mark for a single-season. Beck had two games with five RBI and had an extra inning walk-off home run in the win over Wofford.

Buckner is graduating in just three years with a degree in Educational Studies and has been on the president's and dean's list. She is a two-time Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar and named to the Big South Honor Roll. The junior shortstop started all 48 games and batted .217 with 14 runs, 10 doubles, four home runs and 18 RBI. Her .945 fielding percentage was second-best among starting shortstops in the conference.

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2025 BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE SOFTBALL AWARD WINNERS
First-Team All-Conference
OF – Taliyah Thomas, Jr., USC Upstate
OF - Denver Lauer, Sr., USC Upstate
OF – Grace Bechtol, Soph., Radford
1B – Carson Shaw, Jr., USC Upstate
2B – Cassi Barbato, Sr., Radford
SS – Abby Polk, Soph., USC Upstate
3B – Charlee Yourman, Jr., Charleston Southern
C – Brooke Bennett, Fr., Longwood
P – Dakota Redmon, Fr., Radford
P – Sierra Maness, Soph., USC Upstate
DP – Megan Powell, Sr., Winthrop
DP – Sophia Kardatzke, Fr., USC Upstate
UTL – Carsten Sandvig, Soph., Charleston Southern
 
Second-Team All-Conference
OF – Weslin Jones, Sr., Charleston Southern
OF – Amie Johnson, Jr., USC Upstate
OF – Tia Beckham, Soph. Winthrop
1B – Kendall Owens, Sr., Presbyterian
2B – Avery Jefferson, R-Fr., Longwood
SS – Rachel Smith, Sr., Radford
3B – Alanna Deal, Sr., USC Upstate
C – Kelley Feigen, Jr., Radford
P – Morgan Cooper, Soph., Radford
P – Er'ron Burton, Sr., Longwood
DP – Maryanna Guy, R-Soph., Longwood
UTL - Kasey Wolfe, Soph., Presbyterian
 
Honorable Mention All-Conference
Avery Drake, OF, Gr., Longwood
Jordyn Dimond, OF, Soph., Charleston Southern
Sophia Pisacano, OF, Fr., Longwood
Trina Van Dyke, OF, Soph., Gardner-Webb
Mallory Fletcher, OF, Sr., Presbyterian
 
All-Freshman Team
Dakota Redmon, P, Radford
Sophia Kardatzke, DP, USC Upstate
Brooke Bennett, C, Longwood
Baxleigh Arnette, SS, Presbyterian
Lauren Spainhower, OF, Gardner-Webb
Sophia Pisacano, OF, Longwood
Katie Beck, OF, Winthrop
 
All-Academic Team
Blakley Kingsmore, Charleston Southern
Araceli Pesqueira, Gardner-Webb
Maggie Chapin, Longwood
Peyton Duncan, Presbyterian
Cassi Barbato, Radford
Amie Johnson, USC Upstate
Grayson Buckner, Winthrop
 
Player of the Year
Megan Powell, DP/P, Winthrop
 
Pitcher of the Year
Dakota Redmon, Radford
 
Newcomer of the Year
Tia Beckham, OF, Winthrop
 
Co-Freshman of the Year
Dakota Redmon, P, Radford
Sophia Kardatzke, DP, USC Upstate
 
Coach of the Year
Kevin Fagan, Radford
 
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Cassi Barbato, Radford
 
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