NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Maya Johnson was named a Class of 2026 finalist for the Honda Sport Award for Softball, the organization announced Friday. The other finalists include Megan Grant of UCLA, Jordy Frahm of Nebraska, and Isa Torres of Florida State.
The announcement comes during a landmark year for the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout the 2025-26 collegiate athletics season. For five decades, the Honda Sport Award has recognized the nation's top women athletes across 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports, honoring "the best of the best in collegiate athletics."
The softball recipient will become a finalist for the prestigious Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year award and the 2026 Honda Cup, which will be presented live Monday, July 27, at 7 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network. The Honda Sport Award winner for softball will be determined through voting by administrators from more than 1,000 NCAA member institutions, with each school receiving one vote.
Earlier this week, Johnson was named the NFCA/Portolite Pitcher of the Year and earned First Team All-America honors following one of the most dominant pitching seasons in mid-major softball history. She was also selected as the D1Softball Mid-Major Player of the Year and a D1Softball First Team All-American.
The redshirt senior finished the season leading NCAA Division I in six pitching categories: ERA (0.78), strikeouts (397), shutouts (15), strikeouts per seven innings (12.9), WHIP (0.68), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (11.03).
Johnson concluded the year with a 28-3 overall record, allowing just 110 hits and 24 earned runs while striking out 397 batters and issuing only 36 walks across 215.2 innings pitched. She also threw three no-hitters during the 2026 campaign, including a perfect game in her season debut.
A Top 10 finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, Johnson surpassed 1,000 career strikeouts during the season and concluded her collegiate career with 1,186 strikeouts. She opened the year with nine consecutive appearances recording at least 11 strikeouts and finished the season with 24 double-digit strikeout performances.
Johnson will continue her softball career with the Oklahoma Spark after becoming the first mid-major player to receive an AUSL Golden Ticket.
Her postseason honors also included Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year recognition, First Team All-MVC honors, MVC Tournament MVP, NFCA First Team All-Region accolades, and selection as the 2026 Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Co-Female Amateur Athlete of the Year. She was also named Softball America Pitcher of the Year and a Softball America First Team All-American.
As the CWSA marks its 50th anniversary, the organization continues its longstanding mission of recognizing excellence in athletics, leadership, academics, and community service. Since 1986, Honda has contributed more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to support women's athletics programs nationwide.
