Maya Johnson Named Female Amateur Athlete of the Year

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University softball All-American Maya Johnson has been named Female Amateur Athlete of the Year, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame announced Wednesday.
 
Johnson will receive her award as part of the 2026 Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame induction gala Saturday, July 11 from the Omni Nashville Downtown.
 
Arguably the most dominant athlete in Belmont history, Johnson has authored one of the great stories of courage and perseverance in all of sports.
 
A native of Columbia Station, Ohio, Johnson has led Belmont to consecutive Missouri Valley Conference championships and NCAA Tournament bids.
 
Johnson, also named one of 10 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Wednesday, ranks among national leaders in virtually every statistical category, including strikeouts, strikeouts per seven innings, strikeout-to-walk ratio, earned run average, WHIP, complete games, and shutouts.
 
The pitcher led Belmont to transformational victories over Mississippi State and Georgia this season as the Bruins also won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title.
 
Belmont has also earned National Top 25 poll votes and has been ranked No. 1 nationally in mid-major polls from Softball America and D1Softball the majority of the season.

Johnson was named 2025 All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and D1 Softball.
 
Her 1,170 career strikeouts lead all active players in NCAA softball.
 
Johnson was selected No. 3 overall by the Oklahoma City Spark in the 2026 Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) College Draft May 4.
 
Johnson, who earned her bachelor's degree with honors in nursing this past May, is an inspiration, having risen to the top of college softball battling through an autoimmune condition called lupus.
 
She has become an advocate and national spokesperson for the Lupus Foundation of America, serving as a keynote speaker at the End Lupus Now walk in Nashville this past fall.
 
Johnson is a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Academic All-America candidate.
 
The pitcher joins the exclusive company of Rick Byrd, Betty Wiseman, Joe Behling, and Belmont women's basketball to be honored by the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
 
Johnson will share the Female Amateur Athlete of the Year Award with Tennessee All-American pitcher Karlyn Pickens.
 
For more information on the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, log onto www.tshf.net.