Hawkins Named USA Softball Player of the Year Finalist
EUGENE, Ore. - Oregon pitcher Cheridan Hawkins, along with nine other standouts from around the NCAA, were named finalists for the USA Softball Player of the Year award, the organization announced on Wednesday.
Hawkins currently leads the Pac-12 and ranks eighth in the NCAA with a 1.18 ERA.
Hawkins also leads the Pac-12 with a .133 opponent batting average and she is second in the nation allowing just 3.18 hits per seven innings.
The lefty is 25-3 for the No. 1 ranked Ducks this season with 207 strikeouts in 154.0 innings pitched.
After posting a school record 330 strikeouts last year and 212 as a freshman, she now boasts three of the six best strikeout totals in UO history.
Her 749 total strikeouts is the second most in program history, trailing only Jessica Moore's 915. With 79 career wins, Hawkins only trails Moore (100) in that category as well.
Now in its 14th year, previous recipients of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award 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 pitcher Keilani Ricketts (2012 and 2013) and Florida State pitcher Lacey Waldrop (2014).
The top 3 finalists selected from this list will be announced May 20, with the winner of the 2015 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award revealed on May 26.
The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award is voted on by coaching representatives from 10 Div. I Conferences in the 15 ASA Regions, members of the media who consistently cover Div. I Softball across the country as well as past winners of the award.
USA Softball Player of the Year Finalists
- Allexis Bennett, UCLA OF
- Emily Carosone, Auburn IF
- Lauren Chamberlain, Okalahoma IF
- Sara Groenewegen, Minnesota P
- Lauren Haeger, Florida P/IF
- Cheridan Hawkins, Oregon P
- Shelby Pendley, Oklahoma IF/P
- Sierra Romero, Michigan IF
- Kelsey Stewart, Florida IF
- Shelby Turner, UCF P
