Rogers became the third Mulerider softball standout honored as the league’s top female athlete as she joined the legacy achieved by Maddie Dow in 2016-17 and Brook Goad in 2017-18. Additionally, she became the eighth softball player voted Female Player of the Year in the 14-year history of the conference. No other women’s sport has produced more than three Athlete of the Year recipients.
Brinson, the consensus Division II Pitcher of the Year, produced a 30-5 season with 309 strikeouts, a 0.93 ERA and 18 shutouts. She became just the second GAC pitcher to strike out 300 batters and win 30 games in the same season.She led the conference in nine major categories and ranked in the top five nationally in shutouts, wins, hits allowed per seven innings, strikeouts, WHIP, innings pitched, complete games and ERA. During the season, Brinson put together scoreless inning streaks of 65.0, 37.1 and 32.0 innings. From March 5 to April 18, she gave up three earned runs over 103.1 innings of work, a 0.20 ERA. She pitched SAU to its first GAC Championship title since 2016 after throwing three complete-game wins.
Other nominees for the 2024-25 GAC Female Athlete of the Year award included Arkansas-Monticello’s Shehna Akbary (Golf), Arkansas Tech’s Ellen Spigner (Golf), East Central’s Abbie Morris (Soccer), Harding’s Lisa Retailleau (Track & Field), Henderson State’s Felisa Sajulga (Golf), Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Ashley Low (Track & Field/Softball/Volleyball), Oklahoma Baptist’s Sophia Strange (Cross Country/Track & Field), Ouachita Baptist’s Courtney Hanson (Volleyball), Southeastern Oklahoma State’s Ruthie Forson (Volleyball), Southern Nazarene’s Abriel Thrash (Track & Field) and Southwestern Oklahoma State’s Lacy Mott (Volleyball).
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