LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Twenty-five student-athletes from across the country were revealed as part of the 2022 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Year awards list.
The Player of the Year award was created in 2015 to honor the outstanding athletic achievements among softball student-athletes throughout NCAA Division II. In 2019, the Association expanded the award to include a Player and Pitcher of the Year. The list is compiled and the award is voted on by the elected members of the NFCA Division II All-American Committee with one head coach representing each of the eight NCAA regions. To be eligible, a student-athlete’s head coach must be a member.
The list features a graduate student, 10 seniors, nine juniors, four sophomores, and one freshman representing 25 programs from 15 different conferences.
The California Collegiate Athletics Association, Gulf South Conference and the Lone Star Conference each had three honorees. The Great Lakes Valley Conference, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and the South Atlantic Conference earned two plaudits apiece.
The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, Conference Carolinas, East Coast Conference, Great American Conference, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Mountain East Conference, PacWest Conference, and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference were represented by one honoree.
The winner of each award will be announced on June 2, following the conclusion of the 2022 season.
Past winners of the award are West Texas A&M’s Shanna McBroom (Player / 2021), Saint Anselm’s Morgan Perry (Pitcher / 2021), LIU Post’s Julia Seader (Player / 2019), Grand Valley State’s Allison Lipovsky (Pitcher / 2019), North Georgia’s Kylee Smith (2018), Minnesota State’s Coley Ries (2017), Wayne State University’s Lindsay Butler (2016) and North Georgia’s Courtney Poole (2015). The award was not presented in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2022 Schutt Sports / NFCA Division II Player & Pitcher of the Year Top 25
Pitcher
Biola
First Base
Anderson
Pitcher
Bridgeport
First Base
Upper Iowa
First Base
Cal State San Marcos
Third Base
Montevallo
Third Base
Mount Olive
Utility/Pitcher
Washburn
Shortstop
Grand Valley State
Second Base
Carson-Newman
Third Base
West Florida
Pitcher
West Virginia Wesleyan
Pitcher
Chico State
First Base
Shippensburg
Pitcher
Rogers State
Utility
Texas A&M-Kingsville
Catcher
UT Tyler
Pitcher
Valdosta State
Second Base
Arkansas Tech
Third Base
Angelo State
Pitcher
UIndy
Outfield
McKendree
First Base
Georgian Court
Outfield
San Francisco State
Pitcher
Minnesota State