Softball's Enea and Nelson Named Top 25 Finalists for Player of the Year Award
Wednesday, April 1, 2009 | Softball
Two University of Florida softball players were named Top 25 Finalists for the 2009 USA Softball Collegiate Player, according to the release by the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) on Wednesday. Senior Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.) and junior Francesca Enea (Woodland Hills, Calif.) graced the 25-person roster.
The award, which is considered the most prestigious honor in Division I women's collegiate softball, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate players across the country.
The Top 25 list represents 17 schools and seven different NCAA Division I Conferences. The list is comprised of nine seniors, 12 juniors, three sophomores and one freshman. The eighth annual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be chosen from the 25 finalists. Six other Southeastern Conference players don the list as well.
Nelson is 18-3 on the year with a 0.46 in 23 appearances this season. The two-time All-American has been named SEC Pitcher of the Week twice in 2009 and pitched her first career no-hitter against Ole Miss on March 15. She leads the league in overall ERA, conference-game ERA (0.59) and conference-game strikeouts (75). Her 113 career wins is currently 21st in NCAA record books. On Monday, she was named one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
Enea leads the team with 44 RBI and sits third in the league. The left fielder has a team-high 10 home runs, including two grand slams. She put together a career-long, 10-game hit streak in February, collecting 15 hits with two doubles and five home runs, 23 RBI and seven runs scored. The All-American also earned two SEC Player of the Week honors twice this season. Her 33 career homers are tied in UF for second all-time and she is sixth with 130 career RBI.
Just days before the start of post-season play, a list of 10 finalists will be named and released on May 6. The three finalists will be announced May 20th, while the winner of the 2009 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award will be announced prior to the start of the 2009 NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla.
2009 Top 25 Finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year
Chelsea Bramlett (Mississippi State) – Junior – Catcher/Infield – Cordova, Tenn.
Stacey Chambers (Arizona) – Junior – Catcher – Glendale, Az.
Ashley Charters (Washington) – Senior - Infield– Beaverton, Ore.
Kaitlin Cochran (Arizona State) - Senior- Outfield - Yorba Linda, Calif.
Kelsi Dunne (Alabama) – Sophomore – Pitcher – Port Orange, Fla.
Francesca Enea (Florida) – Junior – Outfield – Woodland Hills, Calif.
Amber Flores (Oklahoma) – Junior – Infield – Calexico, Calif.
Alisa Goler (Georgia) – Sophomore – Infield – Frankfort, Ill.
Alissa Haber (Stanford) – Junior – Outfield- Newark, Calif.
Ashley Hansen (Stanford) – Freshman – Infield – Chandler, Az.
Tiffany Huff (Tennessee) – Junior – Catcher/First Base – Saugus, Calif.
Cheyenne Jenks (Florida Gulf Coast) – Senior –Infield – Naples, Fla.
Brittany Lastrapes (Arizona) – Sophomore – Outfield - Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Danielle Lawrie (Washington) – Junior - Pitcher – Langley, British Columbia
Jenae Leles (Arizona) – Senior – Third Base – Fair Oaks, Calif.
Sam Marder (Ohio State) – Junior– Catcher - Calabasas, Calif.
Charlotte Morgan (Alabama) – Junior– Pitcher/Utility – Moreno Valley, Calif.
Stacey Nelson (Florida) – Senior – Pitcher – Los Alamitos, Calif.
Nikki Nemitz (Michigan) – Junior – Pitcher – St. Clair Shores, Mich.
Amber Patton (DePaul) – Senior – Third Base - Forsyth, Ill.
Missy Penna (Stanford) – Senior – Pitcher/Infield – Miami, Fla.
Brittany Rogers (Alabama) – Senior – Outfield - Dacula, Ga.
Kaila Shull (UCLA) – Junior – Catcher/Outfield – Lodi, Calif.
Danielle Spaulding (North Carolina) – Junior – First Base/Pitcher - Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Tammy Williams (Northwestern) – Senior – Infield - Roscoe, Mo.
