USA Softball Player of The Year Preview

On this edition of In The Circle Podcast, Eric Lopez & Victor Anderson prevew the USA Softball Player of the Year Top 50 ” Watch List”

In The Circle Podcast : College Softball Player of The Year Preview

The pre-season “Watch List” includes 25 seniors, 15 juniors and 10 sophomores, with freshman ineligible for consideration. (Freshman can be considered for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award once they have competed at the collegiate level).  Athletes named to the “Watch List” represent 35 NCAA Division I universities and 15 athletic conferences. Georgia, LSU and Michigan lead the way among universities with three athlete representatives each, while Alabama, Auburn, California, Florida, James Madison, Louisiana-Lafayette, Oklahoma, Oregon and UCLA have two athletes on the “Watch List” apiece.  The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is also well represented among the Top 50 “Watch List” with eight member-schools represented with the Pac-12 Conference represented by six universities.

Previous recipients of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, the most prestigious individual honor in NCAA Division I Softball, are UCLA catcher Stacey Nuveman (2002), Texas pitcher Cat Osterman (2003, 2005 and 2006), Florida State pitcher Jessica Van der Linden (2004), Tennessee pitcher Monica Abbott (2007), Virginia Tech pitcher Angela Tincher (2008), Washington pitcher Danielle Lawrie (2009 and 2010), Stanford shortstop Ashley Hansen (2011), Oklahoma’s Keilani Ricketts (2012 and 2013), Florida State’s Lacey Waldrop (2014) and Florida’s Lauren Haeger (2015).

2016 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 “Watch List”

Ali Aguilar Washington Infield – Junior	Annie Aldrete California Catcher – Junior	Bianka Bell LSU Infield – Senior	Allexis Bennett UCLA Outfield – Senior	Megan Betsa Michigan Pitcher – Junior
Kayla Bonstrom Stanford Infield – Senior	Elena Bowman Manhattan Catcher – Senior	Kristen Brown North Carolina Infield – Senior	Kacie Burnett Idaho State Outfield – Junior	Jessica Burroughs Florida State Pitcher – Junior
Emily Carosone Auburn Infield – Senior	Kelly Christner Michigan Outfield – Junior	Kasey Cooper Auburn Infield – Junior	Emily Crane Missouri Outfield – Senior	Ivie Drake Georgia State Catcher – Sophomore
Lexie Elkins Louisiana-Lafayette Catcher – Senior	Cortni Emanuel Georgia Infield – Sophomore	Jailyn Ford James Madison Pitcher – Senior	Shelby Friudenberg Baylor Infield – Sophomore	Rainey Gaffin Tennessee Utility – Senior
Megan Good James Madison Pitcher – Sophomore	Sara Groenewegen Minnesota Pitcher – Junior	Kylee Hanson Florida Atlantic Pitcher – Junior	Cheridan Hawkins Oregon Pitcher – Senior	Carly Hoover LSU Pitcher – Sophomore
Alex Hugo Georgia Infield – Senior	Jazmyn Jackson California Outfield – Sophomore	Bailey Landry LSU Outfield – Junior	Shellie Landry Louisiana-Lafayette Outfield – Senior	Jenna Lilley Oregon Infield – Sophomore
Katiyana Mauga Arizona Infield – Junior	Haylie McCleney Alabama Outfield – Senior	Erin Miller Oklahoma Outfield – Senior	Aubree Munro Florida Catcher- Senior	Alexis Osorio Alabama Pitcher – Sophomore
Alaynie Page South Carolina Outfield – Senior	Paige Parker Oklahoma Pitcher – Sophomore	Erika Piancastelli McNeese State Catcher – Sophomore	Sierra Romero Michigan Infield – Senior	Lexi Shubert USC Upstate Pitcher – Sophomore
Delaney Spaulding UCLA Infield – Junior	Lindsey Stephens Texas Outfield – Senior	Kelsey Stewart Florida Infield – Senior	Kiki Stokes Nebraska Outfield – Senior	Missy Taukeiaho Cal State Fullerton Infield – Senior
Shelby Turnier UCF Pitcher – Senior	Karley Wester Notre Dame Outfield – Junior	Chelsea Wilkinson Georgia Pitcher – Senior	Torrian Wright Savannah State Infield – Senior	Morgan Zerkle Marshall Outfield – Junior

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