Payton Brown Named OVC Co-Player Of The Year; Ruby Tarr Tabbed As All-OVC Newcomer

Tuesday, May 06, 2025

MACOMB, Ill- The Ohio Valley Conference released the 2025 All-OVC Softball teams today which featured two Leathernecks. Payton Brown and Ruby Tarr were both named to the All-OVC Newcomer team, while Brown was also named to the All-OVC First Team and was named the 2025 OVC Co-Player of the Year. Brown is the first Leatherneck to be named Player of the Year since 2014 when Sammy Marshall won the Summit League Player of the Year for the second year in a row.

Head Coach Alisa Goler adds to her already impressive resume, coaching her first career Conference Player of the Year in her 11th season as a softball coach. "We are so proud of Payton. We often talk as a team about how the game always knows - and the game knows what a good person, teammate, and player Payton Brown is. Her numbers in conference play were absolutely unbelievable. She's more than deserving of this recognition.", said Goler.

Payton Brown led the OVC in several offensive categories during conference play including hits (48), doubles (13), total bases (89), slugging percentage (.908), and tied for first in home runs (8). The Taylor Ridge native also tied the program record for most home runs in a single game back on April 7 against Tennessee State where she hit three home runs including a grand slam. Her 13 home runs for the season also ties her for second all-time in program history, a record that has stood since 2004.

Ruby Tarr, a Freshman from Sidney, Illinois started all 27 conference games for WIU and hit .321 in conference play with nine doubles and 10 RBI. Her nine doubles ranked her second on the team during OVC play and had an On Base Percentage of .414 ranking her fourth on the Leatherneck squad. Tarr committed only four errors in 27 games, finishing the conference season with a fielding percentage of .947. "Ruby had a phenomenal Freshman campaign. Again - the game knows. She is the epitome of a good teammate and person. She started every game at third base and was a constant in the middle of our lineup offensively. She's going to be a cornerstone piece of this program moving forward."

WIU will now look to build off of their young core in Payton Brown and Ruby Tarr heading into the 2026 season.

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