NMSU’s Spearman named CUSA Player, Freshman of the Year

(Courtesy: NMSU Athletics)

EL PASO, Texas - Conference USA unveiled its 2024 Softball Postseason Awards on Tuesday.

Four Aggies earned all-league honors, led by Desirae Spearman.

The freshman was named CUSA Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, landing two spots on the All-CUSA First Team and one on the All-CUSA Freshman Team.

Dezianna Patmon was named CUSA Newcomer of the Year, earning a spot on the conference’s First Team.

Devin Elam joined Patmon and Spearman on the First Team, while Jillian Taylor was voted to the All-CUSA Second Team. 

2024 was NM State’s 50th season and its first in Conference USA.

Four Aggies have found their way into the record books as the first to receive postseason honors from the new league, as they racked up three superlative awards and six spots on various teams.

The conference announced six superlative awards: Player, Pitcher, Defensive Player, Newcomer, Freshman and Coach of the Year.

Additionally, CUSA recognized two teams consisting of its best-performing student-athletes.

Each team consisted of two catchers, five infielders, four outfielders, three pitchers and a designated player.

Lastly, a team of the 12 most distinguished freshmen was also announced. 

Desirae Spearman led the way, being named 2024 CUSA Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

She earned two spots on the First Team (pitcher and outfielder), as well as a selection to the All-Freshman Team.

Dezianna Patmon picked up the other NM State superlative award, winning Newcomer of the Year.

She also was voted the First Team designated player. Devin Elam picked up the Aggies’ third spot on the First Team, also landing an outfielder spot.

Jillian Taylor was voted to the All-CUSA Second Team, completing the outfield trio of Aggies on the coveted lists.

Desirae Spearman

• 2024 CUSA Player of the Year
• 2024 Freshman of the Year
• All-CUSA First Team (Pitcher)
• All-CUSA First Team (Outfield)
• All-CUSA Freshman Team 

In just her first 37 games at the collegiate level, Spearman is maintaining a .345 batting average while pacing the conference in home runs (16), OPS (1.285) and ranking in the top five with 38 RBIs.

The El Paso native also ranks second on the team in total bases (95) and fourth on the team in total hits (39) despite missing 14 of the Aggies' 51 games due to injury.

The two-way star holds a remarkable .794 slugging percentage in league games, higher than any other batter.

Spearman ranks 24th in the nation and leads the league with 16 home runs, including a conference-high 10 in CUSA play. 

The Hanks High School product has posted three multi-home run games, including two in conference play.

Her most recent two-home run outing came at top-seeded Liberty on April 20, when she also tossed a complete game and held the Flames scoreless through 6.2 innings.

Against Nebraska, Spearman went the distance again and allowed just one hit in a 3-0 upset victory.

In the circle, Spearman has been equally as dominant.

She boasts an 8-3 record and 66 strikeouts while maintaining a 3.04 ERA in 15 appearances across 73.2 innings of work.

Spearman becomes the first Aggie to win each of the following awards in CUSA: Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and All-Freshman Team.

She also becomes the first member to be named to an All-Conference Team at multiple positions.

The last CUSA student-athlete to earn multiple spots on all-conference teams in the same season was Nicole Bohnenstiehl, who was named to the Second Team as both a pitcher and utility player from Saint Louis in 2003.

No player has ever been named to multiple selections on the All-CUSA teams multiple times that included at least one spot on the First Team. Spearman made it twice. 

The El Paso native is now the fifth conference Freshman of the Year for NM State in the past nine seasons, and the first since 2021. She is also the first conference Player of the Year since Nikki Butler was the recipient of the 2021 WAC honor.  

Dezianna Patmon

• 2024 CUSA Newcomer of the Year
• All-CUSA First Team (Designated Player/Utility)

Dezianna Patmon ranks second in CUSA with a .387 batting average, and is top-five in home runs (12), RBIs (87) slugging percentage (.718), on-base percentage (.460), OPS (1.178) and runs scored (37). The North Carolina A&T transfer is also top-10 among all CUSA members in hits (55), doubles (11) and stolen bases (13). 

Patmon is leading the Aggies with 55 hits, a .387 batting average and 102 total bases while ranking second with 38 RBIs, 12 home runs and an OPS of 1.178 this season.

Patmon becomes the first Aggie to win such an honor since Sarah O’Neill was named Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year in 2005. The WAC did not recognize the honor annually in its postseason awards. 

Devin Elam

• All-CUSA First Team (Outfield)

Since the start of conference play, Devin Elam has been one of the hottest hitters in the country. The sophomore outfielder was named CUSA Player of the Week on April 15 as she began what is now a 14-game hitting streak. In league games, she is batting .449, ranking second among all batters. At the plate, she has 44 hits, a .431 average and a 1.091 OPS. In league play, she ranks third in hits (31), fifth in RBIs (21) and eighth in OPS (1.089).

 Last time out, her three-run RBI put the Aggies ahead with a quick first-inning lead at Middle Tennessee. Since April 6, the second game at Jax State, Elam has posted 19 RBIs in just the past 16 appearances.

Jillian Taylor

• All-CUSA Second Team (Outfield)

Taylor was named CUSA Player of the Week on April 1 in the midst of a career-best 11-game hitting streak. Taylor, the senior defensive anchor, has started 48 of 51 games in center, tallying a .351 batting average to go with eight home runs, 20 extra-base hits, 52 hits and an OPS of 1.041. 

The senior leads the entire conference with 47 runs scored on the campaign. She is also top-10 in the league in batting average (.351), hits (51), RBIs (31), triples (three), slugging percentage (.615), on-base percentage (.437) and OPS (1.041). 

In the field, Taylor has made multiple highlight plays and is the focal point of the outfield. With 80 putouts, nine assists and just three errors, her .967 fielding percentage is just a glimpse into her gravity in center field. 

The full 2024 Conference USA Softball Postseason Awards are listed below:

Player of the Year

Desirae Spearman, NM State

Pitcher of the Year

Katie Gardner, WKU

Defensive Player of the Year

TJ Webster, WKU

Freshman of the Year

Desirae Spearman, NM State

Newcomer of the Year

Dezianna Patmon, NM State

Coach of the Year

Josh Taylor, LA Tech

First Team All-CUSA

C: Brooke Diaz, LA Tech

C: Ansley Blevins, MTSU

DP/UT: Dezianna Patmon, NM State

IF: Emma Jones-Hubbard, Jax State

IF: Shelby Echols, MTSU

IF: Ajia Richard, UTEP

IF: Taylor Sanders, WKU

IF: TJ Webster, WKU

OF: Rachel Roupe, Liberty

OF: Alexis Gilio, LA Tech

OF: Devin Elam, NM State

OF: Desirae Spearman, NM State

P: Kaylan Yoder, Liberty

P: Desirae Spearman, NM State

P: Katie Gardner, WKU

Second Team All-CUSA

C: Sierra Kersten, Liberty

C: Randi Drinnon, WKU

DP/UT: Kylie Neel, LA Tech

IF: Raigan Barrett, Liberty

IF: Megan Fortner, Liberty

IF: Claire Raley, LA Tech

IF: Elia Hebel, Sam Houston

IF: Morgan Sharpe, WKU

OF: Bailey Grossenbacher, FIU

OF: Kally Meredith, FIU

OF: Jillian Taylor, NM State

OF: Ellie Grill, Sam Houston

P: Kat Carter, Jax State

P: Elena Escobar, Liberty

P: Allie Floyd, LA Tech

CUSA All-Freshman Team

Kally Meredith, FIU

Megan Rasmussen, Jax State

Katie Love, Liberty

Kaylan Yoder, Liberty

Mattison Buster, LA Tech

Desirae Spearman, NM State

Amy Abke, Sam Houston

Faith Aragon, UTEP

Madi Mendoza, UTEP

Morgan Sharpe, WKU

Rylan Smith, WKU

Annie White, WKU

For complete coverage of NM State Softball during the 2024 season, visit NMStateSports.com – the official home of the Aggies – and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Softball), Twitter (@NMStateSoftball) and Instagram (@NMStateSoftball).