Softball | 5/13/2026 1:03:00 PM

Westlake, Ohio – After what has been Oberlin College softball's greatest season on record, the Crimson and Gold earned a trio of All-Conference accolades and a pair of major awards, as announced by the league office on Wednesday afternoon.
 
"This is so well deserved for these three. We have a competitive conference, so these honors carry a lot of weight." Pratt commented on her rookie star, "Anjali is one of the best, full stop. She's an athlete everyone remembers after playing us because she is so fast, powerful, and so talented. We are so happy for her, she is a big part of this talented first-year class and one of the best in the conference. This award is well earned."
 
Headlining the student-athlete honors, first-year Anjali Singh earned Newcomer of the Year while also landing on the First-Team All-Conference list. Hailey Alspach and Connor Fogarty grabbed spots on the Second-Team All-Conference. For Alspach, this is her third-career Second-Team honor. Singh and Fogarty were the only first-years on the first and second teams.
 
Head Coach Julie Pratt and Assistant Coach Lauren Polak were named the Coaching Staff of the Year. This stands as Oberlin's second CSotY honor in program history and is the first since Mimi Mahon and Cheryl Lindsly won it in 2014. 

"It's a honor to be voted Coaching Staff of the Year." Pratt said, "Coach Lauren, Mia Brito '25, and Nicole Doyle have been a great supporting staff for me and this team. We have a mission to change the program and be in the top of the NCAC, we will continue to recruit and work on the field. This season set the standard of OCSB and the future is bright. Thank you to the NCAC coaches for this recognition. I am honored and so grateful!"

Singh had an astounding rookie year with the Crimson and Gold, breaking both the single-season runs scored (43) record and the single-season stolen bases record (43). Starting all 36 games this year, Singh led the team in hits (44), stolen bases (43), runs scored (43), batting average (.396), slugging percentage (.523), and on-base percentage (.464). She also recorded 16 RBIs, seven doubles, two triples (team-best), and one home run, along with 47 putouts and a .891 fielding percentage. Singh is just the second Obie to earn Newcomer of the Year laurels, following the legendary career of Cat Moruzzi '22 who earned the honor in 2019.
 
Alspach completed one of the greatest pitching seasons of all time for Oberlin, breaking six records and leading the team through a historic campaign. The senior holds the records for single-season strikeouts (128), single-season wins (13), career strikeouts (333), career innings pitched (447.4), career wins (24), and career stolen bases (52).
 
"I cannot say enough about Hay, she has been a standout since her first season in this team." Pratt added, "Everyone knows her and everyone in this conference respects her. #1 is going to be missed in the circle, but she has left her mark and set the standard!"
 
Fogarty, a first-year outfielder, defensively guided the team to the second-fewest errors (16) in the North Coast, and secured Oberlin as the only team to not allow a triple throughout conference play. The rookie hit .340 on the season, and accounted for 35 hits, 14 runs, 20 RBIs, and stole 18 bases.
 
"Connor has earned this award for her consistent performance. She is solid in the outfield, and we can always count on her offense."  Pratt continues, "Connor is one of the most coachable kids who keeps learning and getting better, her future is bright and excited we get to have her three more years."
 
Pratt and Polak earn their first NCAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors, after leading Oberlin to the program's most historic season. With just two wins in 2025-24, the duo led Oberlin to 18 wins, and the first .500 season in program history, and tallied six conference wins, which are the most since 2014. Additionally, Oberlin debuted as the No. 1 team in the country in stolen bases per game with 5.94. On top of the wins and rankings, the team saw eight individual single-season and career records broken.
 
Graduating just four seniors and with a year of firsts under their belt, the Crimson and Gold are set to return for another historic season in 2027.
 
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