Newberry's Willis Selected to Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player of the Year Top-25 List

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Twenty-five student-athletes have been selected as finalists for the 2019 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Year awards, with Newberry's Natalie Willis in the elite company.

The list of student-athletes is represented by 23 different programs and 18 conferences. Twelve student-athletes from the original Top-50 "Watchlist" made the cut with the final group consisting of 13 seniors, six juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen.

Willis, a Lexington, S.C. native, is hitting .423 for the Wolves, alongside 66 hits, 42 runs scored, four doubles, seven triples, and two home runs. She has a slugging percentage of .577, an on-base percentage of .432, and 90 assists in the field. Willis's 66 hits lead the conference, and she is second in triples and batting average. The senior shortstop earned her second consecutive first-team all-conference honor, as announced by the SAC office today.

The Top 10 finalists will be announced on May 14 with the 2019 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player of the Year revealed on May 30, following the conclusion of the season.

New in 2019 is the announcement of two awards - Schutt Sports/NFCA Player of the Year and Schutt Sports/NFCA Pitcher of the Year. Up until the reveal of the awards, there will be one list for Top-25 and one list for Top-10. The respective winners will come from the top-10 list and will be voted on by the NFCA Division II All-American Committee.

Behind the collaboration between the NFCA and the NCAA Division II Head Coaches Committee, and the generosity of Schutt Sports, the award was created in 2015 to honor the outstanding athletic achievement among softball student-athletes throughout Division II.

To see the official release, click here.

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