LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced the student-athletes chosen for this season’s quartet of NFCA NJCAA Division I major awards.
McLennan Community College’s Trinity Allen and Northwest Florida State College’s Cailyn Heyl were named the NFCA NJCAA Division I Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively.
Additionally, Paris Junior College’s Gabriela Sosa and Hutchinson Community College’s Bailey Backhaus collected the Diamond Sports/NFCA NJCAA Division I Catcher of the Year and New Balance/NFCA NJCAA DI Golden Shoe awards.
Allen, a first-team All-American at first base, batted .481 with 21 doubles, 23 home runs, 95 RBI and 84 runs scored. She slugged .984, reached base at a .556 clip and swiped 22 bases in 23 attempts. Allen recorded 28 multi-hit games and 22 multi-RBI games. She drove in a season-best eight runs versus Hill College and knocked in six at Vernon and Weatherford College. Allen finished the season ranked fourth in home runs, fifth in total bases (184), sixth in RBI, seventh in slugging and eighth in on-base percentage.
Keying Northwest Florida State to its first-ever national title, Heyl was 35-2 with a 0.94 ERA, four saves and 173 strikeouts. The National Championship’s Most Valuable Player and Pitcher posted a 0.86 WHIP, held her opponents to a .165 batting average, posted 12 shutouts and recorded 26 complete games in 200.2 innings of work. Heyl topped all three divisions with her 35 victories, led Division I in shutouts and complete games, and was second in ERA. She fanned a season-high 14 batters against Lansing Community College and twirled a five-inning no-hitter against Meridian Community College.
Sosa, the first-team NFCA All-America catcher, won two-thirds of the NJCAA DI triple crown with 41 home runs and 117 RBI. She also led the Division with a 1.197 slugging percentage and 219 total bases to go along with 66 runs scored, a .545 batting average and .547 on-base percentage. Sosa homered more than once in 15 games, including a three-home run outing against Hill College. She drove in a season-high seven runs versus Hill and recorded four more contests with five RBI.
Backhaus swiped 57 bases in 58 attempts, ranking fifth nationally. The sophomore infielder recorded multiple steals 17 times, including a season-best three Fort Hays Tech Northwest twice, Seward County Community College and Colby Community College. Offensively, she recorded the second-highest batting average at .524 and a .539 on-base percentage to go along with 97 hits (3rd), 10 triples (2nd) and 78 runs scored (12th).
The awards are voted on by the elected members of the NFCA NJCAA Division I All-American Committee with two head coaches representing each of the three NJCAA Division I regions. To be eligible, a student-athlete’s head coach must be a member.
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