George Washington University Athletics
Ashley Corpuz Named A-10 Softball Player of the Year; Four Revolutionaries Placed on All-Conference Teams
5/7/2026 10:03:00 AM | Softball
Cece Smith, Paige Hayward, Sydney Hogue and Ashley Corpuz earn end-of-season awards
GW softball's Ashley Corpuz was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, the conference announced Thursday, crowning a member of GW softball as the top player in the conference for the fourth time in program history.
Corpuz, who also earned A-10 All-Conference First Team (outfield) and All-Academic Team honors, was one of four Revolutionaries recognized with end-of-season awards. She was joined by Cece Smith, a First Team selection at pitcher, Second Team utility pick and All-Academic honoree, along with Paige Hayward on the All-Conference Second Team and Sydney Hogue on the All-Rookie Team.
Corpuz started all 43 games in left field for GW and was undoubtedly the top power bat in the A-10, ranked first in the conference in OPS (1.304), home runs (13) and slugging (.758) during the regular season. Corpuz also ranked second in the conference in runs scored (44) and on-base percentage (.546), and third in walks (45). The senior from Ladera Ranch, Calif., also continued to draw walks at historic rates in 2026, breaking the GW career (149) and single-season walks records (45), while ranking fifth in the NCAA in walks per game (1.05). She finished the season with 11 multi-hit games and with two A-10 Player of the Week awards. Corpuz heated up during conference play with an OPS of 1.708 vs. A-10 foes. She joins Jenna Cone (2019, 2021) and Alexa Williams (2022) as the only Revolutionaries in history to earn the award. It's also Corpuz's second-straight year on the A-10 All-Conference First Team and All-Academic Team.Â
Smith earned All-Conference recognition as both a pitcher and utility after breaking out as the league's premier two-way player. Smith closed the regular season with the second-best ERA in the conference (2.25), earning double-digit wins (11) for the third-straight season. Smith threw six complete games, including a complete-game shutout with only two hits allowed vs. Presbyterian. In her first season being used offensively, Smith had the fifth-best batting average (.361) and the sixth-best OPS (1.018) in the league, finishing the regular season with nine multi-hit games. Smith rounded out her resume with quality defense, totalling 55 putouts and 13 assists with only two errors. Smith earned both the A-10 Pitcher of the Week and the A-10 Player of the Week awards twice in 2026, as she earned her first All-Conference nod since making the All-Rookie Team in 2024. Â
Hayward was selected as an All-Conference outfielder after her third-consecutive season starting every game for GW in center field. Hayward had another elite fielding season and backed it up at the plate, leading GW with 12 multi-hit games and a career-best .326 batting average. Hayward's nine-game hitting streak and 15 game on-base streak were each second-longest on the team and helped to earn her a spot near the top of the lineup all season. A lockdown defender in center field, Hayward closed the season with 71 putouts, two assists and just one error, bringing her career fielding percentage to .989 at the end of the regular season. The junior from Torrance, Calif., now has A-10 All-Conference and A-10 All-Rookie (2024) to her name.
Hogue made an instant impact on her way to being named to the All-Rookie Team, starting 33 games at third base with success offensively. Hogue finished the regular season with GW's third-best OPS (.963) and fourth-best batting average (.311). Her power came on mid-way through the season, as after hitting her first-career home run vs. George Mason, she went on to finish tied for fifth in the A-10 with six home runs, which included blasts in back-to-back games at Maryland and at Dayton. The first-year from Moorpark, Calif., had eight multi-RBI games, which led the Revolutionaries in 2026. The award marks the ninth-consecutive season (minus COVID year) that a member of the Buff & Blue has been selected to the All-Conference Team.
