LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bethel University (Minn.) junior Kayla Simacek and Salisbury University senior Lindsey Windsor claimed 2023 TUCCI/NFCA Division III Pitcher and Player of the Year awards, the Association announced on Friday afternoon.
Simacek, an NFCA first-team All-America pitcher for the second-straight season, was the unanimous selection as TUCCI/NFCA Pitcher of the Year. She was the Division III strikeout leader this season with 355 punchouts and accounted for all but two of the Royals’ 36 victories on their run to the NCAA Super Regionals.
The Hastings, Minn., native went 34-5 with a 1.02 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 32 complete games and 14 shutouts in 40 appearances. She yielded just 24 walks and 38 earned runs over 260.1 innings in the circle, and held opponents to a .169 batting average. Simacek, a three-time NFCA All-Region selection, was the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s Pitcher of the Year the last two seasons.
Windsor, meanwhile, was one of the key components in the Sea Gulls’ run to a runner-up finish at the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship, earning her second-straight NFCA first-team All-America honor at At-Large Utility/Pitcher along the way.
The Union Bridge, Md., native shined on both sides of the ball, batting .396 with 50 runs, 65 hits, nine doubles, five triples, nine home runs and 55 RBI in 53 contests. She slugged .677, had a .444 on-base percentage, an 1.121 OPS and stole 15 bases in 16 attempts.
Windsor also went 18-2 in the circle, with a 1.14 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 12 complete games, four shutouts and three saves in 34 appearances. She allowed just 24 earned runs and 40 walks across 147 innings, and fanned 122 while limiting opponents to a .194 average. Windsor is both a three-time NFCA All-Region selection and three-time Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year.
The TUCCI/NFCA Player of the Year award was created in 2016 to honor outstanding softball achievement in NCAA Division III. In 2019, the Association expanded the award to include separate Player and Pitcher of the Year honors.
The awards are voted on by the members of the NFCA Division III All-America Committee with one head coach representing each of the 10 NCAA regions. To be eligible, a student-athlete’s head coach must be a member.
TUCCI/NFCA Player & Pitcher of the Year recipients
2023 — Lindsey Windsor, Salisbury (player) & Kayla Simacek, Bethel (pitcher)
2022 — Kaitlyn Hasty, Christopher Newport (player) & Alexis Michon, Eastern Connecticut State (pitcher)
2021 — Jessica Goldyn, Virginia Wesleyan (player) & Hanna Hull, Virginia Wesleyan (pitcher)
2020 — no awards presented due to COVID-19
2019 — Mackenzie Chitwood, Lynchburg (player) & Ally Wiegand, Illinois Wesleyan (pitcher)
2018 — Hanna Hull, pitcher, Virginia Wesleyan
2017 — Hanna Hull, pitcher, Virginia Wesleyan
2016 — Kelsey Batten, pitcher, UT Tyler
Celebrating 40 years in 2023, the NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded All-Region and All-America 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 a National Convention.
Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining nearly 6,700 coaches today at NFCA.org
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