LOUISVILLE, Ky. –Fifteen student-athletes have been chosen as finalists for the 2021 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Pitcher and Player of the Year.

The award, which was established in 2016 to honor the outstanding athletic achievements of softball players in NCAA Division III, was split into separate Player and Pitcher of the Year awards in 2019. To be eligible, a student-athlete’s head coach must be an NFCA-member head coach. With the cancellation of last year’s season due to COVID-19 and a higher percentage of eligible candidates, an additional five athletes have been added to the traditional top 10.

The list of student-athletes is represented by 13 different programs and 13 conferences. The group consists of two graduate students, three seniors, six juniors, three sophomores and one freshman.

Two schools — George Fox and Virginia Wesleyan — have two finalists. Among those four, Virginia Wesleyan graduate student Hanna Hull is a two-time Player of the Year honoree.

The Old Dominion Athletic Conference and Northwest Conference had two selections each, while the American Southwest Conference, Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, Little East Conference, Middle Atlantic Conference, Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, North Atlantic Conference, Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, North Coast Athletic Conference, Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and University Athletic Association all had one representative apiece.

The 2021 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Pitcher and Player of the Year, selected by the NFCA Division III All-America Committee, will be revealed on June 3.

Past winners of the award are Lynchburg’s Mackenzie Chitwood (Player) and Illinois Wesleyan’s Ally Wiegand (Pitcher) in 2019, Hull in 2017 and 2018, and Texas-Tyler’s Kelsey Batten in 2016. The award was not presented in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 Schutt Sports / NFCA Division III Player & Pitcher of the Year Top 15

Kennedy Carruth, sophomore P, Belhaven University

Kenzie Dore, freshman INF, Husson University

Sadie Erickson, sophomore 2B, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Claire Fountain, junior 1B, George Fox University

Jessica Goldyn, graduate C, Virginia Wesleyan University

Julie Graf, senior P, St. Olaf College

Cami Henry, junior P, DePauw University

Hanna Hull, graduate P, Virginia Wesleyan University*

Kelly Jurden, junior OF, Texas Lutheran University

Abby Mace, sophomore OF, Salisbury University

Brooke Matyasovsky, junior UTIL, Eastern Connecticut State University

Sarah Miller, senior INF, Case Western Reserve University

Sarah Reinert, junior SS, Alvernia University

Taylor Skraba, junior OF, Benedictine University (Ill.)

Savannah Vargas, senior 3B, George Fox University

* won Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018