One of the greatest athletes in school history, Linfield softball's Tayah Kelley is the 2022-23 Female Athlete of the Year.
 
Kelley earned the title for the second straight year, sharing the award with Bethany Shade after a stellar junior campaign. In 2022, the Myrtle Creek product set a new single-season program record with 252 strikeouts. She was named a Second Team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
 
A three-time First Team All-Northwest Conference pitcher, Kelley reclaimed her throne as the NWC Pitcher of the Year in 2023. The senior was named the NWC Pitcher Student-Athlete of the Week six times, matching last season's number and bringing her career total to 15.
 
The Catball ace is 28-1 in the circle with two saves and a 1.45 ERA. She has limited opposing lineups to a .165 batting average. Her 28 wins rank No. 2 in Division III.
 
Her lone loss didn't come until the second round of the NWC Softball Tournament, where Linfield (41-4, 27-1 NWC) came out of the double-elimination bracket with the school's 11^th tourney championship. The Wildcats won their 18^th regular season title in 2023 and secured the program's fifth 40-win season.
 
Tied for the Division III lead with 34 pitching appearances, Kelley ranks fourth in the nation with 22 complete games while also ranking fifth with 218 strikeouts and sixth with eight shutouts.
 
Kelley struck out 10 or more batters on eight occasions, led by a career-high 15 Ks against George Fox at home on March 29. Just the second pitcher in Wildcat softball history to eclipse 600 career strikeouts, Kelley has claimed 623 victims and counting. She's 10 punchouts away from standing alone as Linfield's all-time leader.
 
Ranked No. 4 in the latest NFCA Division III Top 25, the 'Cats earned the NWC's automatic playoff berth and await the NCAA Selection Show, scheduled for 10 a.m. (PDT) on Monday, May 15. Regionals will run from May 18-20.