Spartans Place Three on All-Region Team
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The National Fastpitch Coaches Association has revealed the 2025 NFCA Division II All-Region teams. The 2025 squads are comprised of 208 student-athletes from 115 programs. The University of Tampa placed three on the all-region team, including first-teamers Gwen McGinnis and Mariah Galhouse and second-teamer Lilly Kiester.
The awards honor softball student-athletes from the Association's eight regions with first and second-team selections. NFCA member head coaches from each respective region nominated their student-athletes and voted for the teams. All the honorees are now eligible for selection to the 2025 NFCA Division II All-America squads.
McGinnis, a junior from Tallahassee, Fla., delivered an exceptional 2025 regular season, finishing with a 15–3 record, a 1.04 ERA, and five shutouts over 114.2 innings pitched. She struck out 104 batters while issuing only 13 walks, and opponents batted just .203 against her. McGinnis started 15 games, completing 12 of them, and earned one save. Her standout performances included a two-hit complete-game shutout in a 2–0 win over Barry University on May 2, where she carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Earlier, on April 11, she pitched a complete game against Rollins College, allowing four hits and one earned run while striking out eight, improving her record to 13–1 at that point. Her achievements earned her the Sunshine State Conference Pitcher of the Year award and a spot on the NFCA Pitcher of the Year Watchlist.
Galhouse, a senior from Spring Hill, Fla., capped off an outstanding 2025 regular season as both a pitcher and hitter, finishing with a 12–2 record, a 1.12 ERA, and four shutouts over 112.0 innings pitched. She struck out 98 batters while walking just 15, holding opponents to a .198 batting average. Galhouse also contributed at the plate, batting .295 with 48 hits, 5 home runs, 22 RBI, and 7 stolen bases. She tossed 10 complete games and was named First Team All-Sunshine State Conference, also earning SSC Pitcher of the Week honors (Mar. 5). Her all-around performance helped power the Spartans to another strong campaign and earned her the 2025 Female Athlete of the Year award at Tampa.
Kiester concluded the regular season as a standout, earning her fourth consecutive All-Sunshine State Conference (SSC) honor, including three First Team selections. Over 42 games, she recorded 44 hits in 126 at-bats, achieving a .349 batting average. Kiester scored 29 runs, contributed 10 RBI, and maintained a .381 on-base percentage.
No. 1 ranked University of Texas at Tyler led all programs and the South Central region with eight All-Region selections, five on the first team. Four programs – No. 2 Francis Marion University (Southeast), No. 9 Western Washington University (West), No. 3 West Texas A&M University (South Central) and Wilmington University (East) – collected five plaudits apiece. All five Patriots earned first-team accolades, followed by the Vikings with four. The Lady Buffs posted two on the first team and the Wildcats had one.
Joining UT Tyler, Francis Marion, Western Washington and Wilmington as region leaders were No. 10 East Stroudsburg University (Atlantic), No. 17 Tiffin University (Midwest), No. 13 Saint Leo University (South) and the duo of No. 6 Augustana University and Missouri Southern State University in the Central.
East Stroudsburg, Tiffin, University of Bridgeport (East) and Saint Leo each had four student-athletes honored. The Warriors and Dragons posted three first teamers apiece, followed by the Purple Knights with two and one from the Lions.
Sixteen more programs came away with three nods with Missouri Southern (Central), Caldwell University (East) and No. 8 Angelo State University (South Central) boasting all first team selections. No. 5 University of Tampa (South) and No. 14 Pace University (East) each earned two first-teamers.
Conference players and pitchers of the year from member institutions (must be nominated by member head coach and receive votes) are added to the second team if they were not already voted to an All-Region squad.
The 2025 NFCA Division II All-America teams will be announced on Wednesday, May 21 at the NCAA Division II Championship Banquet in Chattanooga, Tenn.
About the NFCA
The NFCA is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded coaches polls and All-Region awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to awards, to in-person events and National Convention.