Seven members of Arizona softball’s starting lineup earned Big 12 postseason honors this season. Six of those players are also among the best in the West, according to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
The NFCA announced its all-region teams on Thursday. The West region included six Wildcats. Senior pitcher/infielder Devyn Netz, junior outfielder Dakota Kennedy, and junior catcher Sydney Stewart made the All-West Region first team. Graduate student P/INF Miranda Stoddard and junior OF Regan Shockey were named to the second team. Junior OF Kaiah Altmeyer earned third-team recognition.
The honor came one day after Netz was announced as one of 10 finalists for the 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and nine days after becoming the Big 12 Player of the Year, an All-Big 12 first teamer, and a Big 12 All-Defensive team honoree. Netz chalked it up to playing for a coach in Caitlin Lowe who believed her player could excel in all parts of the game.
“I think after I got this honor—I think especially the Big 12 Player of the Year—I remember vividly coming off of my sophomore season after the World Series, and I walked into Cait’s office in my exit [interview],” Netz said. “I was like, ‘Listen, I realize that my pitching is more important than my hitting.’ And she’s like, ‘No, you’re gonna hit next year.’ And so that’s something that I think was a turning point for me, is that not only did I not really have as much confidence in myself to be a two-way player, but my head coach did…And I think it’s really important, choosing a school and choosing coaches that let you be the exact person that you want to be and the exact player you want to be. And so I really have to tip my cap to my coaching staff for not only embracing me as a pitcher, but someone who can actually hit and play the field, as well.”
It is the first time Netz has been named to the regional first team. She is tied for the team lead in home runs with 17. She holds the outright team lead in RBI (62) and pitching wins (22). The home runs ranked third in the Big 12, while the RBI and victories are second.
Netz has a perfect fielding percentage at both pitcher and first base. Her 221 chances and 188 putouts were second on the team behind Stewart. Her 33 assists ranked fifth. She was part of a team-high 17 double plays.
Stewart is earning her second regional honor but making her debut on the first team. She earned third-team honors for the Pacific region at Washington last season. She was named All-Big 12 first team this season.
The junior from San Jose, Calif. is tied with Netz for the team lead with 17 home runs and has sole possession of first in on-base percentage (.544), OPS (1.330), and walks (45). She has also been hit by nine pitches, which is a team high. Her .371 average is second on the team among those with qualifying stats.
Stewart’s 60 RBI are second on the team and third in the Big 12. She is also second on the team and in the conference in slugging percentage (.786).
Kennedy is on the first team for the second consecutive season. Overall, it is her third all-region honor after making the second team as a freshman in 2023. The junior does not have qualifying stats due to missing most of the nonconference season with a broken hand, but she has started in all 39 games she has played.
While NCAA rules may not recognize it, Kennedy has the highest batting average (.433) on the team. Her 40 runs scored are fourth on the team despite having just the seventh most at-bats. Everyone above her has played at least 15 more games than she has.
She is tied with freshman Jenna Sniffen for the second-most doubles on the team with nine. Kennedy is tied for third on the team with 23 walks. Her .667 slugging percentage is fourth on the team.
The All-Big 12 first team and Big 12 All-Defensive team honoree joins Netz with a perfect fielding percentage.
Shockey’s place on the All-West second team is her second straight regional honor. She was All-West first team last year. She was named All-Big 12 second team last week.
The sophomore centerfielder was crucial in Arizona’s success at last week’s Big 12 Softball Championship tournament. She hit .500 to lead the Wildcats and joined Netz and Stewart on the all-tournament team.
Shockey leads the team with 78 hits and 20 stolen bases this year. She became the first Wildcat to steal at least 20 bases since Chelsea Suitos in 2015.
Shockey has a batting average of .404 this season, which is the highest among those with qualifying stats. She is third overall, trailing Kennedy (.433 in 120 at-bats) and Paige Dimler (.417 in 84 at-bats).
Shockey leads the team with three triples and is fourth with 89 total bases. She hit her first home run this season, an inside-the-park HR that exploited a shift that left right field open. She also leads the team with nine sacrifice bunts.
Stoddard joins Shockey on the All-West second team, earning the first regional honor of her career. She was named All-Big 12 first team last week.
Like Netz, the grad student has contributed both in the circle and the batter’s box this season. She leads the team with a 1.86 ERA and is second with a 1.11 WHIP. She is second with 86.1 innings pitched. Her 12 wins are second on the team, while her zero losses lead all pitchers with double-digit appearances.
Stoddard gave up just seven home runs in her 86.1 innings of work this season. That leads the team at 0.08 HR per inning pitched. That is well below the 0.13 of Saya Swain and the 0.14 of Netz, which are second and third on the team.
As a hitter, Stoddard leads the team with a .796 slugging percentage. Her OPS (1.269) is second, and her 13 home runs rank third. She is tied for third with 23 walks and has the second-best on-base percentage (.473) among those with qualifying stats. She falls to fourth overall behind Kennedy (.521 in 146 plate appearances) and Zaedi Tagalog (.500 in two PA).
Stoddard’s .350 batting average is fourth among Wildcats with qualifying stats. It is sixth when Kennedy and Dimler are added to the mix.
Altmeyer’s third-team recognition is the first regional honor of her career. The junior right fielder leads the team with 17 doubles. She is second with 41 walks. She ranks third in RBI (49), runs scored (46), and total bases (90).
Altmeyer has the third-best on-base percentage among those with qualifying stats. She is fifth with Kennedy and Tagalog under consideration.
Lead photo by Ryan Kelapire