PRESS RELEASE: JUNE 6, 2025
SJR State Vikings trio earns national recognition
St. Johns River State College softball catcher/infield Princess Arredondo has earned her biggest post-season award to date – the DII Softball Player of the Year by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The sophomore from South Sumter High School (Bushnell, Florida) is the first SJR State athlete to receive the national status.
Softball catcher/infield Princess Arredondo.
According to head softball coach Joe Pound, Arredondo has had an incredible two years at SJR State. “She is a professional hitter. Her bat-to-ball skills, combined with the power aspect of her game, make her a special player,” Pound said. “She has had an unbelievable career, re-writing the record books and leading SJR State Softball to back-to-back World Series appearances including our first National Championship in 2024. I am thankful for what she has done for this program and excited to watch her continue her career.”
SJR State President Joe Pickens said Arredondo is the epitome of a student-athlete. “She is a leader both on the field and in the classroom,” Pickens said. “It has given Carole and me great pride and joy to watch her and the team accomplish so much over the last two years, especially knowing that when her playing days are over, she is going to be just as successful in the game of life.”
Arredondo graduates from SJR State with her Associate in Arts degree and a 3.52 GPA. She heads to James Madison University in Virginia this fall, where she will play for the Dukes and major in business.
ARREDONDO SEASON ACCOLADES
2024 NJCAA/FCSAA Region 8 DII 1st Team All-Region
2024 NJCAA DII 1st Team All-American
2024 MVP of NJCAA DII World Series
2025 NJCAA/FCSAA Region 8 DII 1st Team All-Region
2025 NJCAA/FCSAA Region 8 DII Player of the Year
2025NFCA/NJCAA DII 1st Team All-American
2025 NJCAA DII 1st Team All-American
2025 NJCAA DII Softball Player of the Year
Single Season Program Records set in 2025
Batting Average - .498
Hits - 115
HR - 25 (tied total for 2024)
RBI - 83
Career Program Records
Batting Average - .464
Hits - 200
HR - 50
RBI – 153
Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach Ross Jones said there is immense pride in Arredondo’s accomplishments on and off the field the last two years. “She has represented our college and community in a first class, highly principled manner,” Jones said. “Princess Arredondo has put Viking softball on the map!"
Alyssa Vallad
Jenelle Cruz
Additional accolades include team members who made the 2025 NJCAA DII All-American team.
Alyssa Vallad – First Team All-American
Princess Arredondo – First Team All-American
Jenelle Cruz – Third Team All-American
Coach Pound said Vallad is arguably the best all-around player the past two seasons. “She was a dominant force in the circle tossing a program record four no-hitters this season. Offensively, she hit 24 home runs this season and had 43 for her career. Her walk-off home run in the National Championship game in 2024 is a moment I'll never forget,” Pound said.
Vallad will continue her career at Valdosta State University next year, where she will major in biology.
Cruz had an outstanding freshman year, according to Pound. “She solidified our defense filling a void at SS and became a vocal leader in her first year,” Pound said. “Offensively, she set a freshman record for batting average at .463. We are excited to have her leadership back next year as we bring in seventeen new players.”
In 2024, the SJR State Vikings won its first-ever Sun-Lakes Conference and FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Championship under softball head coach Joe Pound, finishing the season with 55 wins and 79 home runs, earning the NJCAA DII national championship title on the first trip to the tournament in school history.
In 2025, the Vikings softball team claimed the state and district titles and made their second trip to the NJCAA World Series, where they placed third and finished the season with a record 56 wins.