Noelani Livingstone named 2026 DI Softball Player of the Year
Charlotte, NC: Florida SouthWestern outfielder Noelani Livingstone has been named the 2026 NJCAA Division I Softball Player of the Year.
"Noelani was the backbone of our team this season. No matter what we asked of her, she adjusted and contributed," Florida SouthWestern head softball coach Robert Iamurri said.
The sophomore had one of the most impressive all-around seasons in the NJCAA, posting a .526 batting average with 16 doubles, six triples, seven home runs, 57 RBI, and 32 stolen bases. Livingstone has had an incredible two-year run for the Bucs, etching her name in the school record book by finishing third all-time in career batting average (.479), fourth in hits (169), and second in triples (11).
"She started as our leadoff hitter and had a .609 on-base percentage this season. She moved into the middle of the order and had 29 extra-base hits and drove in 57 runs. Simply put, our team would not have had the success we did this year without Noelani," Iamurri said.
Livingstone has earned a list of accolades after an impressive season, including: All-FCSAA First-Team, First-Team Citrus All-Conference, NFCA First-Team All-American, and NJCAA Division I Softball First-Team All-America earlier this week.
The Bucs were the top seed at the 2026 NJCAA Division I Softball World Series, and Livingstone had one of the most impressive tournaments of any player. The British Columbia native earned a .714 average with 10 hits, two doubles, two home runs, four stolen bases, and seven RBI during the World Series. Livingstone led the Bucs to a third-place finish and was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the Tournament.
"We are extremely proud of her for this accomplishment and are excited to continue to watch her grow as a player at the next level next season," Iamurri said.
Livingstone has committed to further her softball and academic career at the University of Alabama.
"Noelani was such an important piece to our puzzle as a team this season. She was an amazing teammate, and we always knew she was going to give us her all. As good of a player as she was on the field for our team, she was equally as valuable off the field, always keeping us loose with her jokes or impromptu dance moves. It was fun getting the opportunity to play with her the past two seasons, and we are excited to watch her play in the SEC and continue to succeed next year," Florida SouthWestern sophomore Makayla Jakubuwski said.
