Montana Fouts, a graduate student pitcher from the University of Alabama, was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Softball as announced today by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 47 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2023 Honda Cup, which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on June 26th, at 8:30 pm ET/5:30 pm PT.
Fouts was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Megan Faraimo (UCLA), Kiki Milloy (Tennessee) and Ashley Rogers (Tennessee).
“I am so honored to be the recipient of this year’s Honda Sport Award,“ said Fouts. “I want to thank the committee who chose me to represent the sport of softball and express how grateful I am to be chosen. I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today without my amazing support system. I want to thank Coach Murphy and the rest of our coaching and support staff for allowing me to live out my dream and creating this family for me the past five years that will have a piece of my heart forever. I would like to thank my family for all of the sacrifices they have made along the way to allow me to play the sport I love while being my rock. To my teammates who have my back on and off the field and made me fall in love with softball all over again, they are the real rockstars. I am so grateful for this platform softball has given me and I am honored to represent my home, The University of Alabama. Giving God all of the glory, Roll Tide.”
Before capturing the award this year, Fouts was a two-time Honda Award finalist for softball after earning the honor in 2021. She is a four-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American, a four-time First Team All-SEC honoree and a four-time finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year honor.
The pitcher finished the season ranked first nationally in strikeouts with 323 and posted a 1.66 ERA. She added 10 shutouts on the year to rank in the top five nationally.
Fouts finished her career ranked second in strikeouts (1,181), third in shutouts (35), fourth in wins (100) and complete games (89) and fifth in ERA (1.66). She has thrown seven solo no-hitters and three solo perfect games in her career.
Off the field, she is a three-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American.
The CWSA, entering its 47th year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs.
About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility
For more than 60 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive contributions to the communities where its associates live and work. Honda’s mission is to create products and services that improve the lives of people while conducting its business in a sustainable manner and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Accordingly, Honda believes in helping people reach their life’s potential through its focus on the areas of education, the environment, mobility, traffic safety and community. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.