DALLAS – Conference USA unveiled its 2025 CUSA softball all-conference teams, all-freshman team and superlative award winners on Tuesday, highlighting the league’s top performers ahead of this week’s championship. Regular season champion Liberty claimed four of the six top honors and led the way with six first-team all-conference selections.
 
Liberty outfielder Rachel Roupe is the league’s Player of the Year after posting a banner season in her senior campaign. During conference play, she set a CUSA record for most RBI (39), tied the record for most home runs (13) and led the league in seven offensive categories, including batting average (.486), OPS (1.745), runs (27) and doubles (10).
 
The Sharpsburg, Md., native ranks 11^th nationally in both doubles (18) and home runs (20), while also ranking 16^th in RBI (63), 19^th in slugging (.882) and 10^th in total bases (142). Roupe became the first player in CUSA history to win three-straight Player of the Week awards and the first to claim five Player of the Week titles in a season.
 
The remaining CUSA Superlative Awards were given to Liberty ace Elena Escobar (Pitcher of the Year), UTEP infielder Madi Mendoza (Defensive Player of the Year), MTSU infielder Jana Want (Freshman of the Year), Liberty infielder Savanah Whatley (Newcomer of the Year) and Liberty’s Dot Richardson (Coach of the Year).
 
Escobar was lights out throughout conference play with a perfect 12-0 record and league-leading figures in ERA (1.33) and opposing batting average (.168). In just 63.1 innings of work, she racked up 77 strikeouts, good for around 8.5 strikeouts per seven innings. Escobar went the distance in seven of her nine starts against CUSA foes, including a CUSA-best four shutouts. Her five shutouts over the course of the season lead CUSA and rank 23^rd nationally.
 
Mendoza leads CUSA and ranks 36^th nationally in assists per game (2.34) and contributed to a Miner infielder that ranks sixth nationally in double plays per game (0.60). During conference play, she turned eight double-plays and registered a CUSA-best 74 assists from the shortstop position. Mendoza had a .957 fielding percentage on 117 chances against league foes.
 
Want dazzled in her rookie season, finishing the league slate with a .352 average and ranked in the top 10 in slugging (.690), on-base percentage (.520), OPS (1.210), runs (25) RBI (19) and walks (25). The two-time CUSA Freshman of the Week started every conference game at the hot corner and posted a .957 fielding percentage on 70 chances.
 
Whatley has been a game changer for the Lady Flames at shortstop in her first year since transferring from Oregon State. She sits seventh in CUSA in on-base percentage (.462) and 10^th in batting average (.354). Whatley tallied 10 multi-hit games, including a 4-4 effort in a win at LA Tech. Liberty went 34-7 in her 41 appearances at shortstop.
 
Richardson led Liberty to its second-straight regular-season title and guided the Lady Flames to their seventh 40-win season in the last eight full seasons. With a 23-3 mark in league play in 2025, Liberty extended its conference series winning streak to 17, including nine sweeps. The Lady Flames were ranked in at least one major national poll every week except one this season.
 
The Lady Flames enter the CUSA Softball Championship at No. 28 in the latest RPI with a 20-8 mark against top 100 squads in the rankings. That figure includes a 7-6 record against Power Four teams. Liberty leads CUSA and ranks in the top 25 nationally in both batting average (.332) and ERA (2.27), while also leading the league in on-base percentage (.410) and slugging (.522).
 
Regular-season champion Liberty leads the way with nine all-conference honorees, followed by LA Tech and Sam Houston with four each. Jax State and MTSU garnered three spots apiece, while FIU and NM State each had a pair named to the lists. Kennesaw State, UTEP and WKU rounded out the teams with one honoree each.
 
All awards are voted on by the league’s 10 head coaches.
 
The 2025 CUSA Softball Championship commences with three games on Wednesday, May 7, at the WKU State Softball Complex in Bowling Green, Ky. Coverage for all games leading up to the championship game will be available through ESPN+ with the title game set to air at 12 p.m. CT Saturday on CBS Sports Network.
 
2025 CUSA Softball All-Conference Award Winners
 
Player of the Year
Rachel Roupe, Liberty
 
Pitcher of the Year
Elena Escobar, Liberty
 
Defensive Player of the Year
Madi Mendoza, UTEP
 
Freshman of the Year
Jana Want, MTSU
 
Newcomer of the Year
Savanah Whatley, Liberty
 
Coach of the Year
Dot Richardson, Liberty
  
First Team All-CUSA
C: Savannah Jessee, Liberty
C: Ansley Blevins, MTSU
DP/UT: Brynn McManus, Liberty
IF: Savanah Whatley, Liberty
IF: Nicole Hammoude, LA Tech
IF: Reagan Marchant, LA Tech
IF: Jana Want, MTSU
IF: Ajia Richard, UTEP
OF: Emma Elrod, Jax State
OF: KK Madrey, Liberty
OF: Rachel Roupe, Liberty
OF: Desirae Spearman, NM State
P: Allie Floyd, LA Tech
P: Elena Escobar, Liberty
P: Abigail Young, Sam Houston
 
Second Team All-CUSA
C: Macie Howes, Kennesaw State
C: Bella Perez, Sam Houston
DP/UT: Maci Masters, WKU
IF: Paige Miller, FIU
IF: Kailey Martin, Jax State
IF: Savannah Woodard, Liberty
IF: Kristiana Watson, NM State
IF: Elia Hebel, Sam Houston
OF: Kally Meredith, FIU
OF: Alexis Gilio, LA Tech
OF: Macie Harter, MTSU
OF: Jenny Robison, Sam Houston
P: Kat Carter, Jax State
P: Paige Bachman, Liberty
P: Kaylan Yoder, Liberty
 
CUSA All-Freshman Team
Haleigh Cushingberry, Jax State
Kailey Martin, Jax State
Jaci Underwood, Jax State
Allie Furr, LA Tech
Elena Heng, LA Tech
Leila Ammon, MTSU
Macie Harter, MTSU
Jana Want, MTSU
Tamara Carranza, NM State
Marissa Burchard, UTEP
Erica Houge, WKU