LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Oklahoma’s Jordy Bahl was presented the 2022 NFCA / Schutt Sports Division I National Freshman of the Year on Tuesday evening at the 2022 NCAA Women’s College World Series banquet in Oklahoma City. Bahl is the second straight Sooner and fourth overall to be selected since the inception of the award in 2014.
Bahl, a first-team NFCA All-Region selection, was the Big 12’s Freshman and Co-Pitcher of the Year. The rookie hurler paces NCAA Division I’s top pitching staff with 21 wins, 199 strikeouts, 10.5 strikeouts per seven innings and seven shutouts in 132.1 innings of work. Bahl sports a 21-1 record with a 0.95 ERA. She issued just 29 walks and held her opposition to a .137 batting average. The Papillion, Neb. native has recorded six double-digit strikeout games, which included a 16-K performance vs. Tennessee and 15-K outing at Texas. Bahl currently ranks top-15 nationally in hits allowed per seven innings (3.33 / 4th), ERA (5th) and strikeouts per seven innings (12th).
Previous Sooners to win this accolade are current teammates Tiare Jennings (2021) and Jocelyn Alo (2018), and four-time NFCA All-American Paige Parker (2015).
Bahl, voted the winner by the NFCA Division I All-American Committee, was joined by Virginia Tech's Emma Lemley and Arizona State's Cydney Sanders as the three finalists for the awards.
In 2022, the NFCA will award Freshman of the Year honors to a student-athlete from NCAA DI, NCAA DII, NCAA DIII and NAIA. For more information about all NFCA Awards, visit nfca.org.
Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year winners
2022 – Jordy Bahl, Oklahoma
2021 – Tiare Jennings, Oklahoma
2020 – Award was not presented due to COVID-19
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
The NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded Schutt Sports/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 nearly 6,000 coaches today!
