Ten catchers have been named winners of the 2006 Diamond Sports Catcher of the Year award. The award is sponsored by Diamond Sports, the NFCA’s Official Protective Equipment, and is presented to NFCA member schools in each of the following 10 divisions: NCAA (Divisions I, II and III), NAIA, NJCAA (Divisions I, II and III), Cal JC, NWAACC (Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges) and high school. The 2006 Diamond Sports Catcher of the Year awards were determined by divisional committees made up of NFCA member coaches. The winners, by division, are as follows:
NCAA Division I — Haley Woods, University of California, Berkeley
Woods hit .355 on the year as she helped guide California to NCAA super regional play. The senior finished with a team-best 16 home runs and 14 doubles to go along with her club-high 55 RBIs and 39 runs scored. Defensively she threw out 11 runners while fielding at a .992 clip (550 putouts and 43 assists to just five errors.
NCAA Division II — Jessica Padilla, Humboldt State University
Padilla served as co-captain for the Lumberjacks squad that topped the NFCA Division II Top 25 much of the season and advanced to the West region final. She hit at a .352 clip on the season and delivered seven doubles and a triple to go with her 11 home runs. She drove in 41 runs and threw out 11-of-13 runners while fielding at a .985 mark.
NCAA Division III — Nikki Conway, University of St. Thomas
Conway hit .442 on the year as she led St. Thomas to a third straight national title game appearance. Conway tied for first in the nation with 17 home runs, and she led the country in runs with 64. Conway finished the year third nationally in RBIs (61) and total bases (138), and she fielded at a .996 mark while successfully throwing out all seven stolen base attempts.
NAIA — Tami Trujillo, California Baptist University
Trujillo had a solid 2006 campaign as she helped guide California Baptist to a runner-up finish at the NAIA national tournament for the second straight season. Trujillo paced the Lancers with a school-record .471 average, hitting 17 doubles and 10 home runs that contributed to her 53 RBIs. Trujillo, who threw out 11 of 19 base stealers, tied the school mark with 26 walks.
NJCAA Division I — Amanda Duran, Pima Community College
Duran hit .543 with 20 home runs as she helped guide Pima to the program’s second national title in three years. The NJCAA all-tournament performer added 25 doubles and four triples to go along with her 106 RBIs and 68 runs scored. Duran was perfect in 306 putouts, and she threw out 15 would-be base stealers on the year.
NJCAA Division II — Britt Boyer, Iowa Lakes Community College
Boyer contributed a .439 average to Iowa Lakes’ stellar campaign. A 1.000 fielder with 336 putouts and 13 caught stealing, she drove in 52 runs and scored 34 times.
NJCAA Division III — Danielle Martinez, Anne Arundel Community College
Martinez earns the honor for the second straight season after a stellar 2006 campaign in which she led Anne Arundel with a .579 average that included 12 doubles, four triples, four home runs and 45 RBIs. Behind the plate she was a .986 fielder, registering 340 putouts to go along with 22 assists. She successfully threw out 11 of 14 attempted base stealers on the year.
Cal JC — Kendra Powers, West Valley College
Powers provided the offensive punch for West Valley’s outstanding run in 2006. She launched a team-best 12 home runs as she compiled a .375 average with 51 RBIs and 30 runs scored.
NWAACC — Holly Judith Rossman, Mt. Hood Community College
Rossman guided Mt. Hood at the plate with a .426 average. She hit eight doubles and three triples to go along with her 10 round-trippers as she helped the squad to a third-place finish at the NWAACC championship. On the year she drove in 45 runs and scored 47 times after reaching base at a .507 clip.
High School — Stacie Chambers, Cactus (Ariz.) High School
Chambers earned Diamond Sports Catcher of the Year honors for the second straight season as she helped lead Cactus to the top spot in the final
