Razorbacks senior First Baseman Bri Ellis Crowned College Softball’s SEC Player of the Year

Arkansas First Baseman becomes second Razorback to earn conference’s top honor.In a season defined by statistical dominance and clutch performances, Arkansas senior first baseman Bri Ellis has been named the 2025 SEC Player of the Year, the Southeastern Conference announced Friday. Ellis is the second player in program history to earn the honor, following KB Sides in 2022.

Numbers That Defy Convention

Ellis’s final collegiate season has drawn attention nationwide for its unprecedented production. She leads the NCAA in both slugging percentage (1.229) and on-base percentage (.663), while batting .492 good for fourth nationally. With 26 home runs and 72 RBIs, she has already shattered Arkansas single-season records in both categories.

Her on-base plus slugging (OPS) mark of 1.892 stands as the highest in the nation since the NCAA began officially tracking the stat in 2016, underscoring her rare combination of power and plate discipline.

Beyond raw numbers, Ellis’s consistency has been notable. She reached base in 22 of Arkansas’s 24 conference games, finishing league play on a 20-game reached-base streak. She also tallied nine multi-RBI outings and seven multi-hit performances against SEC opponents.

A Moment That Defined a Season

Ellis delivered what may be the defining swing of Arkansas’s season in the opening round of the SEC Tournament. In a tie game against Georgia, with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, Ellis hit a walk-off grand slam to give the Razorbacks a 5-1 victory. It was her lone official at-bat of the game after two walks and a hit-by-pitch.

Ellis Named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 25 Finalist | Arkansas Razorbacks

The home run not only propelled Arkansas forward in postseason play but also tied the SEC single-season home run record and pushed her past Razorback greats Braxton Burnside and Danielle Gibson Whorton in the program’s record books.

Impact on Both Sides of the Ball

While Ellis’s offensive numbers draw the headlines, her defense has been quietly elite. She posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in SEC play, with 124 putouts and seven assists, and did not commit a single error in 307 chances during her two seasons of conference competition. For the second straight year, she earned both first-team and all-defensive honors.

A Standout Among Standouts

Ellis’s success has mirrored a strong season for Arkansas softball. Teammates Robyn Herron, Reagan Johnson, and Ella McDowell were all named to the All-SEC Second Team, highlighting the Razorbacks’ overall depth.

Already a finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year award and recently selected No. 2 overall in the AUSL College Draft, Ellis’s season is being recognized as one of the most complete in recent memory both at Arkansas and across the sport.

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Razorbacks senior First Baseman Bri Ellis Crowned College Softball’s SEC Player of the Year

Razorbacks senior First Baseman Bri Ellis Crowned College Softball’s SEC Player of the Year

Numbers That Defy Convention

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