Isa Torres, Mya Perez lead Latinas to Watch in College Softball
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José de Jesus Ortiz, Founder & Editor in Chief
- February 6, 2026
Five Latinas on USA Softball Player of the Year Watch List
By the time they were done with their sophomore seasons in 2025, Florida State shortstop Isa Torres and Texas A&M first baseman/designated hitter Mya Perez had broken major records and their respective universities.
Torres, a Freshman All-American in 2024, set an FSU record with a .436 batting average in 2025 while compiling 95 hits, the third most in school history. Perez finished 2025 with a Texas A&M record 73 RBIs while posting an impressive .424 batting average during a breakout sophomore season.
Torres, a junior from Georgetown, Texas, and Perez, a junior from Corona, Calif., are among the best softball players in America.
Torres and Perez also anchor a deep crop of Latinas in Division I Softball, highlighting Our Esquina’s list of Latinas to Watch in College Softball in 2026.
USA Softball Player of the Year contenders
They were both named to USA Softball’s Top 50 Player of the Year Watch List. Here are the Top 10 Latinas to Watch in 2026.
Isa Torres, junior, shortstop, Florida State
Torres, a D1 Softball and Softball America Preseason All-American, was a hitting machine in 2025. She is ranked as the top shortstop in college softball by D1 Softball.
The 5-foot-6 speedster had nine home runs and 45 RBIs to go with her 95 hits and .435 batting average as a sophomore.
Mya Perez, junior, first baseman/DP, Texas A&M
Mya Perez, a 5-foot-8 slugger, is ranked No. 3 among first basemen in college softball by D1 Softball. Able to hit to all fields, the Preseason All-American hit 16 home runs while driving in a school record 73 runs as a sophomore.
Perez is more than a power hitter, though. She posted an impressive .424 batting average with a .561 on-base percentage. She opened the 2026 season with home runs in each of the first two games.
Aminah Vega has rare All-ACC triple
Aminah Vega, senior, second base, Duke
Senior Aminah Vega, the first Duke player to be an All-ACC First Team selection for three consecutive seasons, is ranked as the top second baseman in college softball by D1 Softball.
She hit a team-best .417 with 17 doubles as a junior. Vega also led the Blue Devils with 80 hits and 135 total bases as a junior. She is also on USA Softball’s Top 50 Watch List.
Macey Cintron, sophomore, first base/pitcher, Clemson
Macey Cintron, the reigning ACC Freshman of the Year, was 8-2 with a 2.25 ERA last year. At the plate, she hit .292 with 14 home runs as a freshman to earn All-ACC and Freshman All-American honors.
She is ranked No. 4 among dual-threat players by D1 Softball. Texas Tech superstar NiJaree Canady, the top player in the country, Nebraska’s Jordy Frahm and Texas Tech’s Kaitlyn Terry are the only dual-threat pitchers/sluggers ranked higher as a dual-threat player than Cintron.
Gabbie Garcia sophomore, shortstop, Oklahoma
Gabbie Garcia is a 5-foot-4 sophomore from Chandler, Arizona. She hit 20 home runs as a freshman to earn Second Team All-SEC honors and Third Team NFCA All-American honors last season.
Garcia hit .351 with 58 RBIs while starting 59 games in 2025. She enters the season on the USA Softball Player of the Year Watch List and as a Preseason All-American.
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Persy Llamas, sophomore, first baseman, Ole Miss
Llamas blossomed into one of the most dangerous power hitters in the SEC as a freshman. She hit three of her 10 home runs last year in the NCAA Tournament while helping Ole Miss reach the College World Series.
She hit .354 while setting a new Ole Miss single-season RBI record with 55 last season. After earning Second Team All-SEC honors last season, she enters her sophomore season as a Preseason All-SEC First Team selection.
Isabella Vega, sophomore, pitcher, UCF
Vega is ranked No. 21 among college pitchers by D1 Softball. The 5-foot-5 right-hander earned Freshman All-America honors after posting a 1.70 ERA in 135 ⅔ innings over 32 games (20 starts) as a redshirt freshman.
She was 14-7 with a save, five shutouts and seven complete games. Vega also threw one no-hitter last season. Her 0.89 ERA in Big 12 play was the best in the conference, which is saying something considering Texas Tech ace NiJaree Canady also was in the conference.
Kairi Rodriguez, junior, catcher, Duke
Kairi Rodriguez hit .370 with nine home runs, 11 doubles, two triples and 42 RBIs. The 5-foot-4 catcher from West Palm Beach, Fla., started 58 games behind the plate for Duke while playing in the Blue Devils’ 59 games.
Rodriguez, who posted a 1,000 fielding percentage, is ranked No. 16 among college pitchers by D1 Softball.
Viviana Martinez returns
Viviana Martinez junior, shortstop, Texas
After missing last season because of injury, Viviana Martinez is ready to return to her old form. She enters her redshirt junior season ranked as the No. 7 best shortstop by D1 Softball.
The 5-foot-6 infielder hit .376 with 18 doubles and five home runs as a sophomore in 2024. She was a D1 Softball All-American and All-Big 12 selection in 2024.
Lagi Quiroga, junior, utility/catcher, Texas Tech
Lagi Quiroga transferred to Texas Tech after two impressive seasons at Cal. She was a Freshman All-American in 2024 and an All-ACC selection in 2025.
Quiroga hit 12 home runs with 44 RBIs while leading Cal in hits (62) and runs (47) last year.
José de Jesus Ortiz
Founder & Editor in Chief
Award-winning writer Jose de Jesus Ortiz, a former lead sports columnist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has covered Major League Baseball since 1997 in Los Angeles, St. Petersburg, New York and Houston. He was the first Latino to serve as president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
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