OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – USA Softball announced its Top 25 Finalists for the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year on Wednesday, and pitcher Kayla Beaver was included in the elite list to represent Central Arkansas.
 
The only ASUN player named, Beaver is one of two non-Power 5 players included, with the other being Wichita State's Sydney McKinney. The Jackson, Tenn., native has been stellar in the circle for the Bears, who received their first national rankings in program history on Monday.
 
Beaver's stats have been near the top of the national rankings all season long, and her dominance has her among the top pitchers in the ASUN. She leads the ASUN in ERA (1.38), is second in wins (16), second in strikeouts per seven innings (7.46) and third in total strikeouts (141). Extrapolated to the national level, the redshirt junior has held up against the best of the best, ranking sixth in the nation in shutouts (7), while her total wins and ERA are both top-25 numbers.
 
Last season's ASUN leader in wins, Beaver has had an absolutely dominant month of April, allowing zero earned runs in 31.0 innings in the month. To add to that, her streak of not allowing an earned run has stretched to 37.1 innings, with her last earned run surrendered 25 days ago. Beaver has struck out 30 batters in the month of April, with just six walks in that timeframe.
 
The redshirt junior opened her season with a 15-strikeout shutout of Idaho State, the ninth player in program history to record a 15-plus strikeout game. It marked the first of seven shutouts this season for Beaver, who added one against No. 11 Arkansas last Tuesday. The win over the Hogs marked the first home win against Arkansas in program history, and completed the season sweep against the nationally ranked Razorbacks.
 
Beaver and the Bears continue ASUN play this weekend, facing last season's champion Liberty in a three-game series. First pitch against the Lady Flames is on Saturday, a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. All of the Top-25 finalists can be found at USA Softball's website.