LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The NFCA announced its top 10 finalists for 2025 NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, May 27, prior to the start of the 2025 NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
Nine different universities and four conferences are represented on this year’s list. LSU is the lone program with two student-athletes in Tori Edwards and Jayden Heavener. The Tigers’ last and only top-10 finalist was Carly Hoover in 2015.
The previously-mentioned duo, along with Florida’s Taylor Shumaker and Alabama’s Audrey Vandagriff, represent the Southeastern Conference. The Big Ten followed with three in Washington’s Alexis DeBoer, UCLA’s Addisen Fisher and Oregon’s Rylee McCoy. BYU’s Ilove’a Brittingham and UCF’s Isabella Vega represent the Big 12 and FSU’s Jazzy Francik is the Atlantic Coast Conference’s lone honoree.
Francik and Shumaker represent the only programs with repeat nods. Francik is the fourth consecutive Seminole to earn top-10 status and the fifth overall. Shumaker is the second straight Gator and fourth all-time. UCLA’s Fisher is the eighth Bruin to be on this list, which matches Oklahoma as the most top 10s by any program.
DeBoer is the fourth Husky, while Alabama and Oregon join LSU with three. Vega and Brittingham are their university’s first-ever top-10 finalists.
At the time of the release, Brittingham was crowned the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Additionally, Brittingham, Vega and Francik earned first-team accolades.
On May 22, the list will be trimmed to three with the winner revealed on May 27.
The top 10 list, along with the top three and winner, are voted on by the NFCA Division I All-America Committee. To be eligible, student-athletes must be nominated by their member head coach and in their first year of NCAA Division I collegiate competition as a true freshman or redshirt freshman.
The NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award was created in 2014 to honor outstanding athletic achievement among Division I freshmen softball student-athletes. In 2025, the NFCA will award Freshman of the Year plaudits to a student-athlete from NCAA DI, NCAA DII, NCAA DIII and NAIA. For more information about all NFCA Awards, visit nfca.org.
BYU
Washington
LSU
UCLA
Florida State
LSU
Oregon
Florida
Alabama
UCF
NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Winners
2024 – Jaysoni Beachum, Florida State; 2023 – NiJaree Canady, Stanford; 2022 – Jordy Bahl, Oklahoma; 2021 – Tiare Jennings, Oklahoma; 2019 – Danielle Williams, Northwestern; 2018 – Jocelyn Alo, Oklahoma; 2017 – Rachel Garcia, UCLA; 2016 – Amanda Lorenz, Florida; 2015 – Paige Parker, Oklahoma; 2014 – Annie Aldrete, Tennessee & Kasey Cooper, Auburn
NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year
The NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded TUCCI/NFCA Freshman of the Year Awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to a comprehensive drills database, to in-person events and National Convention.
Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining over 7,000 coaches today!
