Louisville, Ky. – Freshman first baseman Danielle Gibson has been listed among the Twenty-five student-athletes who are in the running for the 2018 Schutt Sports / NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award, announced by the Association on Wednesday morning.
Gibson leads the Sun Devils in numerous statistical categories including batting average (.416) slugging percentage (.796), on-base percentage (.488), home runs (11), RBI (32) and total bases (90). So far this season, Gibson has had 15 total multi hit games, and 10 games where she drove in two or more runs.
This year's finalists hail from 24 different universities and represent nine Division I conferences from across the nation. UCLA was the only program with two selections. There were five honorees each from the Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference. The Atlantic-10 Conference, Big 12 Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big West Conference and Colonial Athletic Association garnered two representatives.
Leagues with a selection apiece were the American Athletic Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Atlantic Sun Conference, Big South Conference and Mountain West Conference. Boise State's Alison Seng is the first student-athlete to represent the Broncos and Mountain West Conference, while Gardner-Webb, Hofstra, Long Beach State, Northwestern, Saint Louis and UC Davis have first-time recipients.
On May 10, the list will be trimmed down to the top 10, while the top three finalists will be selected and released on May 23. The Schutt Sports / NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year trophy will be presented during a live ceremony at the Women's College World Series banquet on May 29.
The Schutt Sports / NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award was created in 2014 to honor outstanding athletic achievement among Division I freshmen softball student-athletes.
2018 NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25
Hannah Adams, 2B, Florida
Jocelyn Alo, DP/OF, Oklahoma
Patricia Awald, 1B, Kennesaw State
Meghan Beaubien, P, Michigan
Payton Buresch, P, James Madison
Georgina Corrick, P, USF
Sophie Dandola, P, Hofstra
Mia Davidson, C, Mississippi State
Danielle Gibson, 1B, Arizona State
Mary Haff, P, Arkansas
Naomi Hernandez, OF, Long Beach State
Mary Iakopo, C/DP, Oregon
Janae Jefferson, 2B, Texas
Aaliyah Jordan, OF, UCLA
Rachel Lewis, 2B, Northwestern
Kelsey Oh, P, South Carolina
Briana Perez, SS, UCLA
Gabbie Plain, P, Washington
Katie Prebble, 1B, Gardner-Webb
Paige Rauch, 2B/P, Fordham
Alison Seng, 1B/DP, Boise State
Sydney Sherrill, 2B, Florida State
Kaylee Tow, OF, Alabama
Sadie Wise, OF, Saint Louis
Brooke Yanez, P, UC Davis
Gibson leads the Sun Devils in numerous statistical categories including batting average (.416) slugging percentage (.796), on-base percentage (.488), home runs (11), RBI (32) and total bases (90). So far this season, Gibson has had 15 total multi hit games, and 10 games where she drove in two or more runs.
This year's finalists hail from 24 different universities and represent nine Division I conferences from across the nation. UCLA was the only program with two selections. There were five honorees each from the Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference. The Atlantic-10 Conference, Big 12 Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big West Conference and Colonial Athletic Association garnered two representatives.
Leagues with a selection apiece were the American Athletic Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Atlantic Sun Conference, Big South Conference and Mountain West Conference. Boise State's Alison Seng is the first student-athlete to represent the Broncos and Mountain West Conference, while Gardner-Webb, Hofstra, Long Beach State, Northwestern, Saint Louis and UC Davis have first-time recipients.
On May 10, the list will be trimmed down to the top 10, while the top three finalists will be selected and released on May 23. The Schutt Sports / NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year trophy will be presented during a live ceremony at the Women's College World Series banquet on May 29.
The Schutt Sports / NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award was created in 2014 to honor outstanding athletic achievement among Division I freshmen softball student-athletes.
2018 NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25
Hannah Adams, 2B, Florida
Jocelyn Alo, DP/OF, Oklahoma
Patricia Awald, 1B, Kennesaw State
Meghan Beaubien, P, Michigan
Payton Buresch, P, James Madison
Georgina Corrick, P, USF
Sophie Dandola, P, Hofstra
Mia Davidson, C, Mississippi State
Danielle Gibson, 1B, Arizona State
Mary Haff, P, Arkansas
Naomi Hernandez, OF, Long Beach State
Mary Iakopo, C/DP, Oregon
Janae Jefferson, 2B, Texas
Aaliyah Jordan, OF, UCLA
Rachel Lewis, 2B, Northwestern
Kelsey Oh, P, South Carolina
Briana Perez, SS, UCLA
Gabbie Plain, P, Washington
Katie Prebble, 1B, Gardner-Webb
Paige Rauch, 2B/P, Fordham
Alison Seng, 1B/DP, Boise State
Sydney Sherrill, 2B, Florida State
Kaylee Tow, OF, Alabama
Sadie Wise, OF, Saint Louis
Brooke Yanez, P, UC Davis