Texas Tech’s Kaitlyn Terry Named USA Today Big 12 Player of the Year
Junior left-handed pitcher and utility star Kaitlyn Terry added another major honor to her breakout 2026 season on Wednesday, earning USA Today’s Big 12 Player of the Year award.
The UCLA Bruins transfer emerged as one of the nation’s most complete players this season, dominating both in the circle and at the plate while helping lead Texas Tech Red Raiders to its second consecutive Big 12 Conference regular season championship.
The Glendale, Arizona native enters postseason play with a 21-1 record and a 1.39 ERA, good for seventh nationally, while striking out 134 batters compared to only 25 walks across 111 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting just .164 against the left-hander, who also ranks fifth nationally in WHIP at 0.80.
At the plate, Terry has been just as dangerous.
She leads the Red Raiders with a .476 batting average, also seventh nationally, while adding 10 home runs, 50 RBI, 13 doubles, two triples and 11 stolen bases. Her .571 on-base percentage and 116 total bases have helped anchor one of the top offenses in the country.
Terry is currently the only player in the nation ranked inside the top 10 nationally in both ERA and batting average, solidifying her status as one of college softball’s premier two-way stars.
Across the Big 12, Terry finished among the league leaders in nearly every major category. Over the course of the full season, she led the conference in batting average while ranking second in ERA and batting average against. She also finished top 10 in doubles, triples, walks and total bases while sitting among the league leaders in home runs.
Her junior campaign has represented a massive jump statistically across the board.
Compared to last season, Terry has already set career highs in ERA, batting average, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, walks and stolen bases despite recording only nine more at-bats than a year ago. Her .476 batting average is a dramatic improvement from last season’s .247 mark, while her ERA dropped from 2.38 to 1.39.
Her efforts have helped Tech lead the Big 12 in both team batting average and team ERA and become the only team in the country ranked inside the top five nationally in both categories. Texas Tech enters postseason play second nationally in batting average at .390 and fourth nationally in ERA at 1.70.
Terry’s season has also placed her firmly in the running for national honors.
She was previously named one of 25 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award. The list will be narrowed to 10 finalists on May 13, then three finalists on May 18 before the winner is announced prior to the Women’s College World Series later this month.
Tech continues their season on Thursday as postseason play begins with the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Red Raiders face off against Baylor at 1:30 PM CT for a spot in the semifinals where they would face the winner of UCF and Kansas on Friday.
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