NEW ORLEANS – Texas State softball had had three players, Aiyana Coleman, Maddy Azua and Megan Kelnar, named to the 2025 Sun Belt All-Conference First Team. Additionally, Coleman was named Player and Newcomer of the Year.
 
This is the first time in program history that Texas State softball has been awarded a Player or Newcomer of the Year. That, and Coleman's first-team honors, were all the first conference honors of her career. Coleman is in her first season with the Bobcats after transferring from Texas A&M where she spent the first two seasons of her career.
 
Azua was named Pitcher of the Week three times during the regular season, while this is Kelnar's first conference accolade throughout her time as a Bobcat. 
 
Coleman ended the season leading the Sun Belt in slugging, on base percentage, OPS, and walks. Coleman batted fourth-best of anyone in the Sun Belt at .431 while slugging .966 and tallying an on base percentage of .611 and OPS of 1.577. Coleman was a force to be reckoned with at the plate and it showed by how many times she was walked, the junior registered more walks in conference play than anyone else, with the next closest batter having just 21.
 
Coleman is the first Bobcat to win either Player or Newcomer of the Year since the Bobcats joined the Sun Belt Conference. The Bobcats have had four Pitcher of the Year accolades (Randi Rupp, '17/18; Jessica Mullins, '22/24) and two Freshman of the Year (Sara Vanderford, '21; Ciara Trahan '22) but have not won Player of the Year since 2012 (Chandler Hall) in the Southland Conference or Newcomer of the Year since 2007 (Ragan Blake). 
 
Azua was named All-Conference First Team after earning a league-best three Pitcher of the Week accolades this season. She finished conference play with a 2.78 ERA in 90.2 innings pitched. She was the lone pitcher in the Sun Belt this season with more than 10 conference wins as she boasted an 11-3 record in Sun Belt play. She struck out 93 batters in her 90.2 innings while allowing just 73 hits, only recording 36 earned runs along the way. Azua walked just 13 batters, the fewest of any Sun Belt pitcher with more than 50 innings pitched.
 
Kelnar's All-Conference First Team nod was the first conference award of her career as the junior batted .417 throughout conference play this season. She had an on base percentage of .471 while slugging .567, which were both in the top 20 in the Sun Belt during conference play. She was also nearly perfect behind the plate for the Bobcats as a catcher, recording 107 putouts and eight assists throughout conference play. 
 
Coleman, Azua and Kelnar will start their postseason run on Thursday, May 8, in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The team will face the winner of the game between Troy and James Madison at 4 pm on the 8^th. The tournament will all be streamed on ESPN+, except the final on May 10 which will be streamed on ESPN2.