2023 Honda Sport Award given to Alabama’s Montana Fouts

June 13, 2023

WVUA 23 Digital,

Wsb — Alabama softball player Montana Fouts (14) pitches the ball against Stanford at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, OK on Friday, Jun 2, 2023. Photo by Kent Gidley

By WVUA 23 Digital Reporter Sam Thornton

TUSCALOOSA-Former University of Alabama softball ace pitcher Montana Fouts added another piece of hardware to her well-decorated cabinet, becoming the first player in Alabama program history to win the Honda Sport Award.

The prestigious award honors the “best of the best” athletes in each collegiate sport. Across the 12 sports provided for women’s athletics, each recipient from their respective sport became finalists for the 2023 Honda Cup.

The 12 finalists will be decreased to three final athletes before the winner of the Honda Cup is confirmed. The Honda Cup winner will be announced live on CBS Network on June 26th at 4:30 p.m. CT.

It’s the 12th Honda Sport Award for Alabama, but Fouts earned the right to become the first ever softball recipient.

“I am so honored to be the recipient of this year’s Honda Sport Award. I want to thank the committee who chose me to represent the sport of softball and express how grateful I am to be chosen,” Fouts said in a statement. “To my teammates who have my back on and off the field and made me fall in love with softball all over again, they are the real rockstars. I am so grateful for this platform softball has given me and I am honored to represent my home, The University of Alabama.”

Former Alabama gymnastics standout Kim Jacob is the only athlete from the Capstone to win the Honda Cup in 2014.

Fouts will be remembered as one of the most influential and dominant athletes in Alabama athletics history with an everlasting list of accomplishments:

100 career wins
1.66 career ERA
1181 career strike outs
2021 NFCA Pitcher of the Year
Three-time NFCA All-American
Four-time First Team All-SEC
Two-Time Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team
2021 SEC Tournament MVP
SEC Freshman of the Year
12-time SEC pitcher of the week

Fouts ended her Alabama softball career by leading the Crimson Tide back to the Women’s College World Series after hosting their own Super Regional Tournament in Tuscaloosa this season.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better place to spend my dream,” Fouts said in her final post game press conference.