NFCA Announces Gwen McGinnis as National Pitcher of Year, First Team All-American

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Tampa softball standout Gwen McGinnis has been named the 2026 Portolite/NFCA Division II Pitcher of the Year and a First Team NFCA All-American, the organization announced Wednesday morning. McGinnis was also a unanimous first-team selection.

McGinnis becomes the first player in University of Tampa and Sunshine State Conference history to earn the NFCA Division II Pitcher of the Year honor.

According to the NFCA release, "University of North Georgia's Sydnee Reaves and University of Tampa's Gwen McGinnis were selected as the 2026 NFCA Division II Player and Portolite/NFCA Pitcher of the Year, respectively. This marks the third Player of the Year award from the NightHawks program (Courtney Poole, 2025 & Kylee Smith, 2018) and the first plaudit for Tampa and the Sunshine State Conference (SSC)."

McGinnis, a unanimous first-team NFCA All-American, delivered one of the finest pitching seasons in program history while leading the Spartans to the NCAA South Region final. The senior right-hander finished the 2026 campaign with a 26-6 record and Division II's only sub-1.00 ERA at 0.97 over 195.2 innings pitched. She totaled 22 complete games, 12 shutouts, three saves, and 155 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .200 batting average.

The NFCA release noted that McGinnis "put up dazzling numbers as the Spartans' go-to arm in 2026," while finishing tied for first nationally in shutouts with 12 and second nationally in WHIP at 0.82. She also ranked among Division II leaders in victories, home runs allowed, and strikeouts.

McGinnis led the Sunshine State Conference in victories and saves while earning SSC Pitcher of the Year honors. She also allowed just two home runs all season and capped her career with a 64-15 record, 1.18 ERA, eight saves, and 419 strikeouts in 515.2 innings pitched.

Earlier this season, McGinnis threw a six-inning perfect game in an 8-0 victory at Palm Beach Atlantic on March 21.

The NFCA release also highlighted North Georgia standout Sydnee Reaves as the Division II Player of the Year. Reaves, a unanimous first-team All-American outfielder, helped lead the NightHawks back to the NCAA Division II World Series while batting .437 with 28 doubles, 20 home runs, and 81 RBI.

The NFCA began awarding a combined Player of the Year award in 2015 before expanding to separate Player and Pitcher of the Year honors in 2019. The awards are voted on by elected members of the NFCA Division II All-America Committee, with one head coach representing each NCAA region.

Previous NFCA Division II Player & Pitcher of the Year Winners

2026 NFCA Division II First Team All-Americans