The Big South Conference has announced Radford University’s Dakota Redmon (Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-Conference), Peyton Simmons (Second Team All-Conference and All-Freshman), Amanda Lee (Second Team All-Conference and All-Academic), Morgan Cooper (Second Team All-Conference) and Malli Groves (All-Freshman) have all earned end of season awards.
Redmon defended her 2025 title and repeats as the conference’s Pitcher of the Year, becoming just the third Highlander to ever achieve that feat. 2026 also marks her second straight season being selected to first team all-conference. She was Radford’s ace this season and led the team and Big South with a 2.83 ERA, including 1.49 against Big South foes. Her 47 strikeouts were second most among conference hurlers and was one of just three pitchers in the conference with 100+ strikeouts.
Despite a slight decrease in overall workload in 2026, Redmon still tossed a career-high five shutouts, moving her total to eight with Radford which ranks top 10 in program history. Nationally, she ranks in complete games (27th), hits allowed per nine (58th), shutouts (16th), strikeouts (95th), and WHIP (70th). Over the course of the season, she was named Player of the Week once and Pitcher of the Week once.
Simmons made an immediate impact in her first full collegiate season and earned her first Big South all-conference selections on the second team and all-freshman. She hit atop the Highlanders batting lineup in all 48 games and got on base at an average not seen by a Radford freshman since Radford’s last Freshman of the Year in 2024 with a .399 average (.371 in Big South). That batting average ranks sixth best in program history for a single season and third best in the Big South this season. She totaled 22 multi-hit games and scored 21 runs, 9 in conference, which both ranked second on the team.
Lee earns her first all-conference awards being selected to second team all-conference and the all-academic team. Lee is currently working towards her teaching degree with a 3.92 GPA and has been student teaching alongside her playing duties this 2026 season. In 2026, she had a career year at the plate for the Highlanders hitting .333 while being the primary run-scorer for Radford touching home 32 times. Lee swiped a team best 14 stolen bases including seven in Big South play which ranked first in conference. She also posted a career best fielding percentage at third base at .970.
Cooper makes it two straight seasons with selections to second team all-conference. In 2026, she continued to be one of the Highlanders’ most reliable arms with the second-best ERA in the Big South at 3.23 overall and 2.16 in conference. Cooper ranked nationally in hits allowed per nine (91st), strikeout to walk ratio (84th), and WHIP (46th). She became one of just two Radford players to ever go a full regular season without a wild pitch and allowed just two walks in conference play, the lowest among all pitchers.
Groves rounds out the Highlanders end of season awards with her well earned selection to the all-freshman team. She was the leading run producer for the Highlanders this season with a team-high 34 RBI starting in all 48 games. Her 13 RBI against Big South foes ranked seventh most in conference. Overall, her three home runs were second most on the team. During the season, she recorded highlights such as 2 RBI in a season opener win over ASUN leaders Central Arkansas, driving in four runs in a win against UConn and clubbed a multi-homer game and season-high four RBI to seal a sweep over Presbyterian.
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