CLEVELAND, OH -- Wittenberg graduate student Meghan McCans (Arcanum, OH/Arcanum) and junior Shyann Beddow (Kearns, UT/ Kearns) along with Denison junior Madilyn Moffitt (New Castle, IN/New Castle) have earned top Player of the Year honors to headline the 2026 All-North Coast Athletic Conference softball team following balloting by the league coaches.
McCans proved to be one of the most dynamic players in the conference both at the plate and in the field during the 2026 season. The graduate student outfielder becomes just the fourth player in Wittenberg softball history to earn NCAC Player of the Year honors and the first since Stephanie Zorn was recognized in 2005. In 14 conference games, McCans batted .490 (24-for-49) with a .673 slugging percentage and a 1.201 OPS, while posting a .528 on-base percentage. She recorded three doubles and three triples, scored 15 runs, drove in six runs and collected 33 total bases against NCAC competition. McCans showcased her speed throughout conference play, leading the league with 17 stolen bases in 18 attempts while also pacing the conference in triples and tying for first in runs scored. She additionally ranked third in hits, fourth in total bases, fifth in batting average, tied for sixth in on-base percentage and seventh in OPS. Defensively, McCans totaled 36 putouts and one assist while committing just one error for a .974 fielding percentage in conference action.
Moffitt, who earned her first career All-NCAC first-team selection after collecting third-team honors in 2024, becomes the second-consecutive and eighth overall Denison pitcher to be named NCAC Pitcher of the Year. The junior right-hander proved to be a reliable presence in the circle throughout conference play this season, posting a league-low 1.71 earned-run average while compiling a 4-3 record across seven conference starts. Moffitt threw four complete games, including one shutout, and allowed just 10 earned runs over 41.0 innings pitched. She limited NCAC opponents to a .248 batting average, struck out 32 batters and issued only 11 walks while surrendering just one home run in conference action. Among her top performances of the season, Moffitt tossed a two-hit shutout against Oberlin and recorded seven strikeouts without a walk over 6.1 innings against John Carroll. She also earned a complete-game win over Wooster to close conference play, striking out five batters in the victory, and allowed only one earned run in outings against both Wittenberg and DePauw.
Beddow collects the 2026 NCAC Gold Glove Award for her contributions in the field. This marks just the third year the conference has presented a Gold Glove honor, as the junior joins Hiram’s Fayth Kawamura and Wooster senior infielder Julia Jennings (McCordsville, IN/Cathedral), who earned the award in 2025 and 2024, respectively. Playing exclusively at catcher, Beddow recorded 64 putouts and 10 assists on 75 total chances in conference play while throwing out four baserunners. She also turned two double plays and committed just one error for a .987 fielding percentage in NCAC action.
The 2026 All-NCAC softball first team featured infielders Denison junior Leilah Ferrari (Liberty Township, OH/Lakota West) and sophomore Carley Melton (Cypress, TX/Bridgeland), Kenyon junior Keala Montgomery (Lana‘i City, HI/Lana‘i), and Wittenberg junior Bekah Giel (Amelia, OH/West Clermont), while John Carroll senior Melissa Smith (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville East) earned first-team honors behind the plate at catcher. Joining Wittenberg’s McCans as first-team outfielders were DePauw senior Ella Kuenster (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park and River Forest HS) and Oberlin first-year Anjali Singh (Fremont, CA/Mission San Jose). In the utility/designated player category, DePauw sophomore Eliza Rammel (Indianapolis, IN/North Central) and Kenyon sophomore Leah Kuban (Pittsburgh, PA/Avonworth) were selected to the first team. Wittenberg senior Lilly James (Troy, OH/Troy) joined Denison’s Moffitt as a first-team pitcher, while DePauw senior Alex Romero-Salas (Paranaque City, National Capital Region (NCR)/Calvert Academy) and John Carroll graduate student Jordan Anderson (Alliance, OH/West Branch) earned first-team recognition as utility/pitchers.
In addition to earning first-team All-NCAC honors, Singh was selected as the 2026 NCAC Newcomer of the Year after an impressive debut season for Oberlin. In 14 conference games, the first-year outfielder ranked sixth in the NCAC with a .476 batting average after collecting 20 hits on 42 at-bats, good for the fifth-most hits in league play. Singh also tied for eighth with 11 runs scored, tied for second with one triple, and tied for 14th with three doubles while driving in seven runs. She totaled 25 bases to tie for 10th in the conference and posted a .595 slugging percentage, good for 13th in the league, while also tying for 10th with a .500 on-base percentage. On the basepaths, Singh tied for the fourth-most stolen bases in the conference, going 9-for-13 in steal attempts during NCAC action. She becomes just the second Oberlin rookie to earn the honor, joining Cat Moruzzi, who was selected in 2019.
Finally, Oberlin’s leadership was named the 2026 NCAC Coaching Staff of the Year. Anchored by head coach Julie Pratt, the Yeowomen completed one of the biggest turnarounds in program history after going 18-18 overall and 5-9 in conference play following a 2-31 overall record and 0-14 NCAC mark in 2025. Assisted by Lauren Polak, Oberlin’s 18 wins marked the most in program history and the program’s highest overall winning percentage (.500) since the Yeowomen began competing in 2000, while the team’s five conference wins were its most since 2014. Against NCAC opponents, Oberlin hit .293 (98-for-334) with 53 runs scored, 17 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 49 RBI, 123 total bases, a .368 slugging percentage, 17 walks and a .339 on-base percentage. The Yeowomen also tied for second in the conference with four sacrifice flies and ranked second in stolen bases after going 46-for-58 on steal attempts in league play. Defensively, Oberlin recorded the second-fewest errors in the NCAC with just 16 on 374 total chances, totaling 254 putouts and 104 assists for the conference’s third-best fielding percentage at .957. In the circle, the Yeowomen allowed the fourth-fewest walks in conference action with 25, surrendered the third-fewest doubles with 15 and were the only team in the league to not allow a triple. Oberlin also tied for second with just two hit batters allowed and gave up the fewest sacrifice hits in NCAC play with six. This is the second Coaching Staff of the Year award for the Yeowomen, first since 2014.