Faith Hickman NWAC Catcher of the Year 2026
▶ Watch this story in under a minute — or read on.
The 2026 NWAC Catcher of the Year hit .476 with 21 home runs — and stole 10 bases, proof that catchers don’t have to leave their feet on the bench.
There is an unwritten rule in softball. Catchers hit for power. Catchers call games. Catchers stay in the squat and let the outfielders handle the baserunning. Faith Hickman spent the 2026 season ignoring it.
Hickman catches for Walla Walla Community College in College Place, Washington. Her conference, the NWAC, covers two-year colleges across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Those programs feed Division I and Division II rosters every year.
This month the NFCA named her the 2026 Diamond Sports/NFCA NWAC Catcher of the Year. It also named her a first-team NWAC All-American. Both are the top honors a catcher can win at that level.
Look at what she did at the plate.
| AVG | SLG | HR | RBI | R | 2B | SB | BB | TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .476 | 1.035 | 21 | 77 | 62 | 15 | 10 | 19 | 148 |
She finished third in the NWAC in home runs and slugging, fourth in RBI, fifth in total bases. Six other Walla Walla Warriors hit .400 or better that season, and the team finished 31-15. But when the NFCA handed out the award, Hickman was the name at the top of the list.
So a hitter like that has every reason to stay in the box. Every steal attempt risks an out. It also risks legs the team needs in the squat.
Then there is the number that should not be there.
Ten. For a catcher.
That is not a typo. Hickman reached base and ran 10 times this season. She did it while squatting, blocking, and directing traffic from behind the plate.
A total like that would earn respect from a shortstop. From a catcher, it makes coaches recalculate what they know about the position.
The defense also held up. She threw out 3 of 5 runners who tested her, a small sample but a clean one. So she was not trading one skill for the other.
The audacity of it is worth sitting with. Catchers are supposed to stay put. She ran anyway. It says the position’s limitations are not hers to enforce.
What a catcher can learn from this
The belief that catchers are slow is everywhere. Coaches assume it. So do scouts.
Even catchers themselves sometimes internalize it. Then they stop working on their first step and decide the baserunning game isn’t theirs to own.
Hickman’s 10 steals did not happen by accident. They happened because she worked on her jump and studied pitchers’ delivery times. She did reps that most catchers are never asked to do.
The lesson is not that every catcher can steal 10 bases. Some of you won’t. But the speed you have — whatever amount that is — is worth developing. When you decide your legs don’t matter behind the plate, you leave part of your game on the bench.
Faith Hickman played the whole game. That is your choice to make.
Try this at your next practice
- The jump read. Before your next bullpen session, spend five minutes watching your pitcher’s delivery from behind the plate. Count how many steps the delivery takes and how long the ball is in the glove before release. Then ask yourself: if you were on base, where would you go? Most catchers never think about it from that angle — Hickman clearly did.
- First-step bursts. Set up in your normal catching stance. On your partner’s signal, explode out of the squat and sprint 10 yards. Do 5 reps. Catchers almost never train the first step — but that first step is where stolen bases are won or lost, whether you’re stealing them or stopping them.
- Read-and-react baserunning. During a team scrimmage or live BP, ask your coach to let you run the bases from behind the plate after a hit — even just once or twice. Most catchers only see the baserunning game from one direction. Running it trains your reads and makes you a smarter defensive catcher.
Sources: Faith Hickman bio — Walla Walla Community College Athletics · 2026 Diamond Sports/NFCA Catcher of the Year collegiate recap · NFCA NWAC major awards revealed 2026 · Multiple Basin athletes named to All-Region team — Hagadone News Network.
