SOU's Deja Acosta tags out Reinhardt's Hannah Singleton during the NAIA Opening Round in Ashland.

ASHLAND — Riley Donovan made history as Southern Oregon’s first three-time NAIA All-American softball player, hitting the first team again, and Deja Acosta landed second-team honors when postseason awards were announced Wednesday by the national office.

Cayla Williams, the NAIA World Series MVP, was a glaring omission from the teams but earned an NAIA Gold Glove award at pitcher from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. The NFCA also released its own All-America list, on which Acosta made the first team and Donovan the second team.

Voter fatigue was the most plausible explanation for Donovan not repeating as the NAIA Player of the Year. The senior catcher from Half Moon Bay, Calif., led the NAIA in home runs with 23, RBIs with 94, total bases with 169 and slugging percentage at .977, also ranking second in batting average (.491) and third in on-base percentage (.570). She finished with six more home runs, 15 more RBIs and 23 more total bases than any player in the NAIA, and no one else’s slugging percentage exceeded .915.

Donovan finished her career with a bang, homering in each of SOU’s last three games to win her second national title as a Raider. A grand slam against Oregon Tech in the championship gave her the tournament record for total RBIs at the World Series with 11.

Donovan was a second-team selection in 2021 and is now the third player in team history with multiple first-team nods, joining former teammates Gabby Sandoval and Allie Stines. Over three seasons and 186 games at SOU, she finished with 51 home runs, 249 RBIs and a .473 batting average — all team records.

She was bested for the Player of the Year award by College of Idaho shortstop Haley Loffer, who posted a slash line of .404/.564/.770. Georgia Gwinnett’s Annalisse Wood, who gave up five runs in a loss to SOU at the World Series, was named the Pitcher of the Year.

Acosta, who was left off the All-America list in 2022 after leading the NAIA in runs scored, earned a spot in her second season with the team. The senior second baseman batted .410 with 72 runs — the second-most in the country — five home runs, eight doubles and five triples. She stole 34 bases on 37 attempts and finished with 56 RBIs, the 18th-highest total nationally, out of the leadoff spot.

Acosta was previously named to the NAIA World Series All-Tournament team after going 7-for-15 with six runs scored and four RBIs at the tournament. She also collected a Cascade Conference Gold Glove award.