LOUISVILLE, Ky. – No. 9-ranked Missouri Southern softball student-athletes Taylor Nuckolls and Kiki Pickens were listed on the 2026 NFCA Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year watchlist, the organization announced Wednesday.
 
In total, 118 student-athletes from across the country were revealed as part of the 2026 NFCA Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year watchlist. The list is broken down into the eight NCAA Regions (Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast and West) with up to 15 student-athletes represented in each region. 
 
Taylor Nuckolls
Nuckolls, a shortstop from Lago Vista, Texas, ranks second on the Lions offensively in 2026, batting .403 (.589 SLG%, .482 OB%). She ranks as the toughest batter to strikeout in the MIAA with a rating of 0.016 (13th in NCAA DII).
 
The senior has started in all 36 games, notching 52 hits, 34 runs (sixth in MIAA), 13 doubles, four triples (third in MIAA, 27th in NCAA DII), a homer and 30 RBI. Her 13 doubles rank fourth in the MIAA and 26th overall in the nation. Nuckolls also ranks fifth in the conference for hits (52).
 
On the basepaths, Nuckolls is 19-for-20 on stolen bases. Her stolen base percentage of .950 ranks second in the MIAA (26th in NCAA DII).
 
She is second on MSSU with 16 multi-hit games included four three-hit outings. Nuckolls has also notched five multi-RBI games in 2026.
 
Nuckolls registered a trio of doubles against Minnesota State Moorhead (Feb. 28). She most recently had three hits and two RBI at Nebraska Kearney (March 21), before following that up with three RBI on two hits in the doubleheader finale against the Lopers.
 
Nuckolls heads into this weekend's series against Northeastern State on a 10-game hitting streak.
 
Kiki Pickens
Pickens, a Beebe, Arkansas, native, is 11-2 in 2026 with a 2.25 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 19 appearances (13 starts). The junior has pitched 81.0 innings with 103 strikeouts, five complete games and a shutout. Opposing teams are batting .229 against Pickens this season.
 
Pickens is first in the MIAA with 8.9 strikeouts per seven innings (19th in NCAA DII). She is also third in the conference with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.96 and fourth in the MIAA for strikeouts.
 
She has registered a season-high 12 strikeouts twice in consecutive appearances against Texas Woman's (Feb. 8) and Southwestern Oklahoma (Feb. 13).
 
Pickens threw a complete-game shutout against No. 11-ranked Southern Arkansas (Feb. 14, 8-0 Win), allowing just eight hits and three walks to go with seven strikeouts.
 
2026 NFCA Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year Watchlist
The 2026 NFCA Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year watchlist is compiled by the elected members of the NFCA Division II All-American Committee with one head coach representing each of the eight NCAA regions (Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast and West). To be eligible, a student-athlete's head coach must be a member.

Voted on by the NFCA's Division II All-American Committee, the 2026 NFCA Player of the Year and NFCA/Portolite Pitcher of the Year will be announced on May 27, a day prior to the start of the NCAA Division II National Championships. All student-athletes are eligible for the end-of-the-season award and do not have to be on this watchlist to be considered.
 
NEXT: MSSU next hosts Northeastern State in an MIAA doubleheader Saturday at Pat Lipira Softball Complex in Joplin, Missouri. The doubleheader will commence at 1 p.m., CT.