JOPLIN, Mo. - Four members of the No. 5 ranked and top-seeded Missouri Southern softball team earned 2026 D2CCA Central All-Region honors, the organization announced Monday.
 
Kiki Pickens and Bailey Dillon were named to the First Team All-Region while Emily Davis and Katie Gray both were tabbed Second Team All-Region. It marked the second All-Region honors for the group of Lions this season after picking up NFCA laurels on May 15.
 
Missouri Southern led the Central Region with four selections while the MIAA topped the three conferences in the region with 13 honorees (eight first team, five second team).

 
2026 D2CCA All-Central Region First Team: Kiki Pickens – Pitcher
#25 • RHP • 5-9 • Jr. • Beebe, Ark.
Kiki Pickens, the 2026 MIAA Pitcher of the Year and 2026 MIAA Championship Tournament Most Outstanding Player, leads the Lions and ranks second in the MIAA with 24 wins (24-3 in 2026, 9-1 in MIAA in 2026) over 167.2 innings (fourth in MIAA).
 
She ranks first in the MIAA for opposing batting average (.186), first for hits allowed per seven innings (4.68, 13th in NCAA DII), first for strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.82), first for strikeouts per seven innings (8.0), first for WHIP (1.00), second for ERA (1.63) and second for strikeouts (183).

In league play, Pickens paced the MIAA for ERA (1.48) and opposing batting average (.129), was second for wins (9) and was third for strikeouts (70).
 
Pickens started all three games of the 2026 MIAA Championship Tournament, posting a 0.81 ERA with a 2-0 mark over 17.1 innings with 23 strikeouts. She tossed a complete game in the opener against Washburn and limited opposing batters to a .156 batting average over the Tournament. 

Over 35 total appearances (27 starts) in 2026, the junior from Beebe, Arkansas, has a 1.00 WHIP, 13 complete games (fifth in MIAA), three shutouts and a save.

Pickens has been named MIAA Pitcher of the Week twice in 2026 and was featured on the 2026 NFCA Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year watchlist.

 
2026 D2CCA All-Central Region First Team: Bailey Dillon, Outfield
#6 • LF • 5-5 • So. • Lenexa, Kan.
Bailey Dillon, a 2026 All-MIAA First Team selection, leads MSSU at the dish, batting .423 (sixth in the MIAA) with 60 runs (third in MIAA), 83 hits (second in MIAA), 10 doubles, four triples, three home runs, 28 RBI, 110 total bases, and 47 stolen bases (second in MIAA).
 
She has an OPS of 1.043 (.561 SLG, .482 OB%). The sophomore from Lenexa, Kansas, has started all 58 games in left field.

The Lions leadoff hitter batted .438 in MIAA play (.494 OB%, .538 SLG%), was third for triples (3) and was fourth with 24 runs and 35 hits.
 
Dillon leads the Lions with 25 multi-hit games. She went on a team-high 28-game reached base streak (13-game hitting streak) in 2026 and has five multi-RBI games this season.

She was named the MIAA Hitter of the Week once in 2026.
 

 
2026 D2CCA All-Central Region Second Team: Emily Davis – Pitcher
#23 • RHP • 5-5 • Fr. • Buckeye, Ariz.
Emily Davis, the 2026 MIAA Freshman of the Year, has had a stellar collegiate debut in the circle. She ranks third in the conference with a 1.84 ERA, and 4.93 hits allowed per seven innings, over 152.0 total innings pitched.
 
Davis is also fourth in the MIAA for opposing batting average (.199) and fourth for strikeouts (152, 7.1 strikeouts per seven innings). She is second on MSSU with 19 wins (19-4 in 2026) which ranks third in the MIAA.
 
In MIAA league action, Davis led the conference with 85 strikeouts, was third for opposing batting average (.213), fourth for ERA (2.00) and was fifth with 77.0 innings pitched.

Over 35 total appearances (21 starts) in 2026, the freshman from Buckeye, Arizona, has a 1.02 WHIP (second in MIAA), 11 complete games, four shutouts (fifth in MIAA) and two saves. Davis has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.62 which ranks third in the MIAA.

In the field, she boasts a 1.000 fielding percentage with four putouts, 14 assists, 18 chances, 0 errors and two double plays as she also picked up both 2026 MIAA Gold Glove Team and 2026 All-MIAA First Team honors.

Davis has been named MIAA Pitcher of the Week twice in 2026.
 

2026 D2CCA All-Central Region Second Team: Katie Gray, First Baseman
#24 • 1B • 5-7 • Sr. • Lansing, Kan.
Katie Gray, a 2026 All-MIAA First Team selection, ranks fourth on the Lions with a .356 batting average (.792 SLG%, .510 OB%, 1.302 OPS, all team-highs) to go with 32 runs, 53 hits, 13 doubles, two triples, team-high 16 homers, team-best 53 RBI, 118 total bases (team-high), 38 walks (team-high), 12 hit by pitches and 13 stolen bases. Gray's 16 home runs surpassed her program-record of 15 set in 2025.

Her home runs rank first in the MIAA while her on-base plus slugging ranks second, her slugging percentage is third and she is fourth for on-base percentage in 2026.

Gray's seven MIAA conference home runs rank tied for third in 2026.

In 2026, she has started in 57 games at first base for the Lions. Gray has a team-best 16 multi-RBI games along with nine multi-hit games. She went on a 22-game reached base streak (team-high 17-game hitting streak) in 2026.

The Lansing, Kansas, native, was named the MIAA Hitter of the Week once in 2026.