LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Senior Bella Atkinson and junior Paige McLeod earned All-Region honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, the organization announced Thursday.
Atkinson received NFCA Division I All-Midwest Region First-Team honors, while McLeod earned a spot on the second team. Illinois State has placed at least one student-athlete on an all-region team in six of the past 10 seasons.
Atkinson is the second straight Redbird to earn first-team recognition, following Abby Knight last season.
The Missouri Valley Conference had eight student athletes selected across the NFCA All-Region teams. Atkinson was one of three MVC players to receive first-team honors, joining Maya Johnson of Belmont (South) and Skylar Benesh from Northern Iowa (Midwest).
The 2026 NFCA Division I All-America teams, voted on by the NFCA DI All-American Committee, will be announced on Wednesday, May 27.
Atkinson, who earned All-MVC First-Team honors this season, delivered one of the top offensive campaigns in the conference, batting .401 with 69 hits, 45 RBI, 17 doubles and 10 home runs across 51 starts. The third baseman from East Troy, Wis., posted a .461 on-base percentage and a .674 slugging percentage while recording 20 multi-hit games, including a two-home run, six-RBI outing against Valparaiso and a four-RBI performance versus Northern Iowa.
Atkinson's 17 doubles are tied for the fourth-most in a single season in program history, and she became just the fifth Redbird to record at least 40 hits, 40 runs scored and 40 RBI in a season. The NFCA All-Region selection marks the first regional honor of Atkinson's career.
McLeod also earned the first regional honor of her career after being named a first-team MVC selection and earning a spot on the conference All-Tournament Team. The pitcher from Danville, Calif., turned in an impressive season in the circle for Illinois State, posting a 20-6 record with a 2.65 ERA over 161 innings pitched.
The junior made 36 appearances with 27 starts, totaling 81 strikeouts and three saves while helping lead the Redbirds through conference play. McLeod recorded complete-game shutouts against Massachusetts, Drake and Southern Illinois and picked up key wins over Belmont and Illinois during the season. She finished the year with 16 appearances allowing two earned runs or fewer and became the first Redbird pitcher to total 20 wins in a season since Sarah Finck had 23 in 2017.
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