Reese Atwood

Reese Atwood is a 6-foot professional softball catcher from Sandia, Texas. She was selected No. 7 overall by the Carolina Blaze in the 2026 AUSL College Draft following a collegiate career at Texas.

Personal Life

Hobbies: Enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, spending time outdoors and traveling.

Background: Calls winning two national championships at Texas her proudest accomplishment. Has two dogs, Nala and Louise.

Family: Daughter of Tammy and Geoff Atwood, and has one sibling, Devin. Her mother played basketball at Blinn College.

Professional & International Experience

Athletes Unlimited Softball League (2026–)

2026 AUSL Regular Season (Carolina Blaze): Atwood was named AUSL Rookie of the Year after ranking 10th in the league with a .309 batting average. She earned an All-AUSL Team selection, started 22 of 23 games, and ranked fourth in the AUSL with eight home runs. She also ranked third in the league with 25 runs batted in, logged a .405 on-base percentage to rank 10th in the league, and posted a .735 slugging percentage, good for seventh in the league. Atwood hit a home run in three consecutive games from July 1 to July 4. She recorded six multi-hit efforts during the season, including a three-hit performance at Chicago on June 20, when she went 3-for-3 with a triple and a home run while driving in four runs. On June 14, against Texas, she belted two home runs with three runs batted in and two runs scored. The following day, in the series finale against Texas on June 15, she collected two hits. On July 4, against Utah, she went 2-for-4 with a home run and three runs batted in. In the season finale, Atwood led the Blaze to an 11-1 victory over Oklahoma City by going 2-for-3 with a double and four runs batted in. On July 16, against Chicago, she drove in two runs as part of a 2-for-4 effort.

Team USA (2025–2026)

Team USA: Member of the 2026 United States Women's National Team Athlete Pool who helped the U.S. Elite Team win Bronze at the International Cup. Also appeared in four games during the Down Under Series in December 2025.

College Experience: Texas (2023–2026)

Atwood was a four-year letter winner who started 253-of-256 career games from 2023 to 2026, leading the Longhorns to back-to-back NCAA Women’s College World Series titles as a junior and senior.

Career Statistics: Authored a .360 career batting average with 74 home runs and 283 runs batted in. Amassed 266 career hits, including 43 doubles and four triples, while scoring 179 runs with 100 walks. She was the first player in Texas history to post multiple seasons with 20 or more home runs.

2026 Senior Season: Started 64-of-65 games, ranking fifth on the team with a .326 batting average. Finished second on the squad with 19 home runs and 61 runs batted in while adding 10 doubles. Logged 16 multi-hit games, including a pair of three-hit performances, and drove in multiple runs in 16 contests.

2025 Junior Season: Started all 68 games, leading Texas with 21 home runs and 89 runs batted in. Composed a .393 batting average and a team-high .822 slugging percentage. Recorded at least one hit in 45 games, including 20 multi-hit contests, and set a Texas NCAA Tournament record by driving in 13 runs during the Austin Regional.

2024 Sophomore Season: Established new Texas single-season marks for home runs (23), runs batted in (90), total bases (163), slugging percentage (.862), and sacrifice flies (8). Ranked third on the Longhorns’ roster with 21 multi-hit games and drove in at least one run in 39 contests.

2023 Freshman Season: Started 56-of-58 contests, batting .291 with a team-high 11 home runs. Tallied 43 runs batted in while collecting 91 total bases, and amassed a .986 fielding percentage in 290 total chances.

Awards & Honors

All-America: Three-time NFCA All-America selection, earning First-Team honors as a sophomore and junior before receiving a Second-Team nod as a senior. Also honored as a First-Team All-America performer by Softball America and D1Softball as a sophomore and junior.

National Honors: 2025 Johnny Bench Award winner as the nation’s top catcher, 2026 Rawlings Gold Glove Award recipient, Top-3 Finalist for the 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award, and finalist for the 2024 Honda Sport Award for Softball.

Region & Conference Honors: Three-time NFCA All-Region First Team honoree. Four-time All-Conference performer, garnering First-Team status as a sophomore and junior, and Second-Team distinction during her freshman and senior seasons. Earned a spot on the Southeastern Conference All-Defensive Team for the second straight year in 2026.