ROANOKE, Va. – The Liberty softball team earned four major end-of-year awards as the 2025 CUSA Softball All-Conference Team was announced. Overall, the team placed a league-best nine players on the all-conference team, including six first team selections.
Liberty senior outfielder Rachel Roupe was named CUSA Player of the Year. Senior Elena Escobar was voted CUSA Pitcher of the Year, and redshirt junior Savanah Whatley was named CUSA Newcomer of the Year. Liberty 12th-year Head Coach Dot Richardson was voted CUSA Coach of the Year.
Recommended Videos
Roupe bats .385 for the season while leading all CUSA players with 18 doubles, 20 homers and 63 RBI. She is tied for 11th in NCAA Division I softball in both homers (20) and doubles (18), 16th in RBI (63) and 10th in total bases (142). In conference play, Roupe led all CUSA hitters in batting average (.486), slugging percentage (1.149), OPS (1.745), runs (27), home runs (13) and RBI (39).
Escobar has a 19-3 record with five shutouts overall while ranking second in CUSA in overall wins (19), ERA (2.08) and strikeouts (140) and third in opponents’ batting average (.209). In conference play, Escobar was a perfect 12-0 with a 1.33 ERA, leading all CUSA pitchers in conference-only ERA (1.33) and opponents’ batting average (.168).
Whatley is ranked fourth on the team with a .354 batting average, well above her career average entering the season. She hit her first career home run on March 14 at Kentucky.
Coach Richardson guided Liberty to its second CUSA regular-season title in a row this season, as the Lady Flames went 23-3 in conference play, the most conference victories by a team in a single season in CUSA softball history. Liberty has been ranked in the Top 25 in every week except for two so far this season and currently holds an RPI of 28 and a very strong postseason resume. The Lady Flames tied their program record for home wins (24), regular-season wins (44) and conference wins (23) this season.
2025 CUSA First Team All-Conference:
-Savannah Jessee, Catcher
-Brynn McManus, Designated Player/Utility Player
-KK Madrey, Outfielder
-Rachel Roupe, Outfielder
-Elena Escobar, Pitcher
2025 CUSA Second Team All-Conference:
-Savannah Woodard, Infielder