The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Stewart named SEC Player of the Year, seven from No. 5 Softball earn All-SEC honors
05.08.2026 | Softball
Katie Stewart is the program’s first SEC Player of the Year and fourth Longhorn to garner conference player of the year.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – No. 5 Texas Softball's Katie Stewart was named the Southeastern Conference's (SEC) Player of the Year, the conference office announced Friday. In addition, seven Longhorns earned All-SEC honors.
Juniors Katie Stewart (first base), Kayden Henry (center field), Teagan Kavan (RHP) and Viviana Martinez (shortstop) were selected to the All-SEC First Team while senior catcher Reese Atwood, senior second baseman Leighann Goode and freshman RHP/UTL Hannah Wells were named to the All-SEC Second Team. Atwood also earned All-SEC Defensive Team honors. Texas and Oklahoma led the conference with seven All-SEC First and Second team selections.
The All-SEC Teams consist of 25 student-athletes on the First Team, 26 student-athletes on the Second Team, and a nine-member All-Defensive Team. All awards were chosen by the league's head coaches, and no ties were broken.
Stewart becomes the first Longhorn in program history to earn SEC Player of the Year and the fourth Longhorn to garner conference player of the Year. Atwood (2024), Taylor Thom (2014) and Amy Hooks (2011) each received Big 12 Player of the Year.
Stewart, a top 25 finalist for USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year Award, is a three-time all-conference selection. Stewart has put together a record-breaking junior campaign, setting a single-season program record in home runs with 24. Stewart is slashing .441/1.015/.575 with 60 hits, six doubles, 24 home runs and 61 RBI. Prior to the start of the SEC Tournament, Stewart led the conference in batting average and OPS while ranking second in home runs and fifth in RBI.
Kavan is a three-time first-team all-conference selection and a top 25 finalist for USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year for the second-straight year. The West Des Moines, Iowa, product is 21-4 in the circle with a 2.62 ERA and 192 strikeouts. Her 21 victories and 192 strikeouts are the second-most by an SEC pitcher this season.
Martinez is a three-time all-conference selection after receiving Second-Team All-Big 12 praise in 2023-24. Martinez is slashing .374/.527/.440 with 49 hits, 11 doubles, three home runs and 37 RBI while posting a .966 fielding percentage at short. Martinez excelled during conference play with a .397 batting average which ranked fifth in the conference.
Henry hauled in her third all-conference distinction after being named to the All-SEC Second Team in 2025 and All-Big 12 Second Team in 2024. Henry leads the SEC in stolen bases with 26 and has notched a .414/.650/.505 slash line as Texas' leadoff batter with a team-high 65 hits to go along with 67 runs, 15 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 40 RBI. Henry has a perfect fielding percentage in center.
Atwood is a four-time all-conference honoree after hauling in First-Team All-SEC selection in 2025 and First-Team All-Big 12 accolades in 2024-25. Atwood, the program's career home run and RBI leader, is hitting .352 with a .731 slugging percentage and .442 on-base percentage. The Sandia, Texas, native is second on the team with 16 home runs and 54 RBI. Behind the plate, Atwood has a .993 fielding percentage and has thrown out four would-be base stealers and picked off two runners.
Goode garnered all-conference honors for the second time in her career and first time since being placed on All-Big 12 Second Team as a freshman in 2023. Goode is slashing .376/.688/.477 with 47 hits, 47 runs, nine doubles, 10 home runs and 35 RBI. Goode has registered a .966 fielding percentage at second.
Wells earns her first career all-conference selection. Wells' 12 home runs tie for the second-most by a freshman in program history – one home run shy of Katie Stewart's record of 13 which was set in 2024. Wells is hitting .291 with a .699 slugging percentage and .362 on-base percentage, driving in 35 runs. Wells is 5-3 in the circle with a 3.33 ERA and 32 strikeouts.
Up Next
No. 5 Texas faces No. 13 Georgia in the SEC Tournament semifinals at 6:30 p.m. CT on Friday, May 8, at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Ky. The game will broadcast on ESPN.
