2022 SEC Softball Player of the Year rankings

The SEC softball season is two months deep. We’ve got about a month to go until the conference tourney begins, so we’ve got plenty of room to make some analysis. And today, we’re going to take a look at who I believe is the Player of the Year this year, along with some players who could give that player chase.

For the record — we won’t be including pitchers here. I’ll do a separate Pitcher of the Year post. But, to be honest, Maddie Penta of the Auburn TIgers still deserves some recognition here anyways for the season she’s put together in the circle.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Honorable Mentions

• Hannah Gammill (Arkansas Razorbacks)
• Tate Whitley (Ole Miss Rebels)
• Mia Davidson (Mississippi State Bulldogs)

3. Erin Coffel (Kentucky Wildcats)

I think this is a three-horse race right now. The first one who’s making a run at POY is Kentucky’s Erin Coffel. After an SEC All-Freshman Team selection in 2021, Coffel has followed up with an extremely strong effort. She’s maintained a batting average north of .400 all year. She has 14 home runs, fourth-best in the conference, and leads with 51 runs batted in. She’s slugging just shy of .900 on the season also, which will certainly get plenty of love here. As Kentucky keeps rising in the ranks, expect Coffel to be a difference-maker.

2. Haley Lee (Texas A&M Aggies)

When the season got started, Haley Lee was the first SEC Player of the Week of the year. She got off to a scorching start at the plate, hitting over .800 in her first round of play. Fast forward two months later, and Lee is still hitting the ball at will. Lee has maintained a .482 batting average, which, amongst hitters with at least 100 at-bats, leads the conference. Lee also has a .608 on-base percentage, which also leads under the same qualifiers. She might not have the power numbers like others, but she’s still gotten to double digits in doubles and home runs. To not waver, and to wind up landing at the top of the conference in hitting two months into the season is incredibly impressive. For this reason, I have Lee second right now, but the argument can absolutely be made for her to be in first.

1. Danielle Gibson (Arkansas Razorbacks)

Danielle Gibson is my SEC Player of the Year right now. Gibson and her teammate Hannah Gammill have been tearing it up at the plate, and are a big reason why the Razorbacks have had so much success. I give Gibson the edge over Gammill right now and everybody else. She’s collected 59 hits, 10 doubles, and 14 home runs. Her .480 batting average is just .002 off the lead set by Lee. She has a .902 slugging percentage and a .536 on-base percentage. More importantly, much like Lee, Gibson has maintained strong consistency throughout the season.