AUGUSTA, GA -- The Peach Belt Conference has announced the 2025 softball All-Conference team. Georgia College & State University's Kam Caldwell was named the PBC Player of the Year while Columbus State's Julianna Franklin the Pitcher of the Year. North Georgia's Carleigh Knowles was named the Freshman of the Year while GCSU's Brittany Johnson the Coach of the Year and USC Beaufort's Daryn Miller the winner of the PBC Elite 18 Award.
All major PBC awards are presented by College Ave with the Elite 18 presented by Barnes & Noble College.
Caldwell becomes the third Bobcat in program history to be named the Player of the Year and the first since Sherquita Bostick won back-to-back in 2008 and 2009. A senior third baseman from Athens, Ga., she leads the PBC with 20 doubles on the season and is ranked fifth in NCAA Division II in doubles per game. She is also ranked in the league's top 10 in batting average, on-base percentage, OPS, hits and triples. Caldwell hit .405 this season with three home runs and 38 RBIs.
Franklin made 33 appearances with 28 starts this season and leads the Peach Belt in ERA, innings pitched and is tied for the league lead in strikeouts. A senior from Leesburg, Ga., she went 17-12 on the season in 194.2 innings pitched, a 1.98 ERA and 154 strikeouts. She is currently fourth in NCAA Division II in innings pitched. Franklin becomes the fourth Cougar to be named the Pitcher of the Year, the first since Hannah Rose Corbin won her second straight in 2023.
Knowles has had one of the most impressive seasons by a freshman in PBC history. The catcher from Hawkinsville, Ga., leads the Peach Belt in batting average (.426), slugging percentage (.923), RBIs (62) and home runs (20). The 20 homers is tied for fifth-most in a single season in league history. A two-time PBC Freshman of the Week and three-time Player of the Week, she was named the NFCA National Player of the Week on April 7. Knowles is the fourth Nighthawk to be named the Freshman of the Year, the first since Courtney Poole in 2013.
It did not take Brittany Johnson long to make an impact as the head coach at Georgia College & State University. In her first season at the helm, the Bobcats are the #2 seed for this weekend's PBC Tournament, their highest tournament seed since 2018. The Bobcats were 14-10 in league play, their most in seven years. She becomes the fourth Bobcat coach to be named Coach of the Year, the first since 2013.
The All-Conference team is below, as selected by the league's head coaches. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.
2025 Peach Belt Softball
All-Conference Team
First Team
1b - Reese Snipes, Flagler
2b - Kate Newberry, USC Aiken
3b - Bailee Roberts, Augusta
SS - Sydney Stewart, Flagler
C - Carleigh Knowles, North Georgia
DP - Cooper Watson, Georgia Southwestern
UT - Ansley Gibson, Augusta
OF - Natalie Ray, North Georgia
OF - Sydnee Reaves, North Georgia
OF - Saria Simmons, USC Beaufort
P - Julianna Franklin, Columbus State
P - Lakyn Phillips, USC Aiken
At-Large - Emily Allen, Lander
At-Large - Kam Caldwell, Georgia College & State University
At-Large - Rylie Moody, North Georgia
At-Large - Hannah Smith, Flagler
Second Team
Madison Banks, Georgia Southwestern
Samantha Bumgarner, Lander
Divina Checo, Georgia College & State University
Autumn Fisher, USC Aiken
Jaden Goodwin, USC Beaufort
Karlie Gutierrez, Georgia College & State University
Reagan Hill, Lander
Cierra Kinlaw, USC Beaufort
Sydney Lancaster, Georgia College & State University
Brooke Maher, Flagler
Kiley McQuillan, Flagler
Chloe Poss, North Georgia
Emily Ricci, Flagler
Ashlyn Rogers, Georgia Southwestern
Peri Rouillard, USC Aiken
Madalyn Spinks, Augusta
Elite 18 Award presented by Barnes & Noble College
Daryn Miller, USC Beaufort
Player of the Year presented by College Ave
Kam Caldwell, Georgia College & State University
Pitcher of the Year presented by College Ave
Julianna Franklin, Columbus State
Freshman of the Year presented by College Ave
Carleigh Knowles, North Georgia
Coach of the Year presented by College Ave
Brittany Johnson, Georgia College & State University