Big Ten

USA Softball Names Finalists For Collegiate Player Of The Year

USA Softball Names Finalists For Collegiate Player Of The Year

USA Softball announced today the remaining Top 10 Finalists vying for the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.

May 4, 2022 by FloSoftball Staff
USA Softball Names Finalists For Collegiate Player Of The Year

USA Softball announced today the remaining Top 10 Finalists vying for the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Currently in its 20th season, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award is considered the most prestigious individual honor in Division I college softball and recognizes outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female softball players across the country.

Jocelyn Alo – Oklahoma – RS-Sr – UTL
Jordy Bahl – Oklahoma – Fr – P
Georgina Corrick – South Florida – Fifth-Year – P
Danielle Gibson – Arkansas – RS-Sr – IF
Baylee Klingler – Washington – Sr – IF
Grace Lyons – Oklahoma – Sr – IF
Kelly Maxwell – Oklahoma State – RS-Jr – P
Sydney McKinney – Wichita State – Jr – IF
Keely Rochard – Virginia Tech – Sr – P
Danielle Williams – Northwestern – Sr – P

Previous recipients of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award include Stacey Nuveman (UCLA - 2022), Cat Osterman (2003, 2005, 2006 - Texas), Jessica Van der Linden (Florida State - 2004), Monica Abbott (2007 - Tennessee), Angela Tincher (2008 - Virginia Tech), Danielle Lawrie (2009, 2010 - Washington), Ashley Hansen (Stanford – 2011), Keilani Ricketts (2012, 2013 – Oklahoma), Lacey Waldrop (2014 – Florida State), Lauren Haeger (2015 – Florida), Sierra Romero (2016 – Michigan), Kelly Barnhill (2017 – Florida), Rachel Garcia (2018, 2019 – UCLA) and Jocelyn Alo (2021 – Oklahoma). Due to the shortened 2020 season because of the COVID-19 global pandemic, a 2020 recipient was not chosen.

The Top 10 Finalists include three fifth-year/graduate students, four seniors, two juniors and one freshman. Split evenly with five pitchers and five position players, the Top 10 Finalists hail from eight different NCAA Division I universities while representing six athletic conferences across the country including the Big 12 with four member schools, the American Athletic Conference (AAC) with two, and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big Ten, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference (SEC) each with one school apiece. Three athletes from the University of Oklahoma highlight the list while Arkansas, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, South Florida, Virginia Tech, Washington and Wichita State are each represented by one athlete.    

The Top 3 Finalists will be revealed on May 18 before the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be announced prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series, which is scheduled for June 1-10 at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex.