CORRECTION: Top Three Finalists for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Announced

Wed May 20 15:04:56 EDT 2009

Received: 5/20/09 1:49:59 PM 
From:  "Holly Krivokapich" <hollyk(at)softball.org> 

Subject:  CORRECTION: Top Three Finalists for USA Softball Collegiate
Player of the Year Announced  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CORRECTION: Danielle Lawrie isa Junior. 

For Immediate Release:5/20/2009

Top ThreeFinalists for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the
Year Announced

OKLAHOMA CITY,Okla. – The Amateur Softball Association of America
(ASA), ispleased to release its Top Three Finalists for the 2009
USA Softball Collegiate Player of theYear, which will be announced
on Tues., May 26  at the NCAA Women’sCollege World Series Party
at the Park at ASA Hall of Fame Complex. The hunt for the Player
ofthe Year started with a Top 50 Watch list and has been narrowed
down to three;Arizona State’s Kaitlin Cochran, Washington’s Danielle
Lawrie and Florida’sStacey Nelson.

Thebios of the Top Three Finalists are as follows: 

Kaitlin Cochran – Arizona State – Senior – Yorba Linda, Calif.

Kaitlin Cochran thus far in this season and throughout her career
has ledthe nation in nearly every offensive category at one point
in the season. ThePac-10 Player of Year still holds the nation’s
leading on-base percentage andranks top 10 in batting average,
slugging percentage, home runs, home runs per gameand is ranked
in RBI per game. She has broken every ASU offensive career andsingle-season
record and now continues to climb up the Pac-10 and NCAA recordbooks
in hits, doubles, home runs, slugging percentage, on base percentage,walks
and intentional walks. Cochran is hitting .424 on the season
with 65 runsscored. She has drawn an incredible 59 walks with
59 RBI. In Pac-10 play, shehas still hit an impressive .404 with
17 RBI and a slugging percentage of0.915. Cochran earned the
Pac-10 Player of the Week on March 31 as well asearned first-time
honors. 

Danielle Lawrie – Washington – Junior– Langley, British Columbia

ThePac-10 leader in wins, ERA, strikeouts and shutouts, Lawrie
is also among thenation’s top three in all four categories. She
has thrown two no-hitters thisseason, against UCLA and Arizona
to become the first pitcher in NCAA history tono-hit both in
a career, let alone a season. She set a school record in theNCAA
Regional Championship deciding game against No. 20 UMass, striking
out 24batters in a 6-1, 15-inning win. She is the third pitcher
in Pac-10 historywith 24+ strikeouts in a game. It was her 25th
double-digit strikeout game ofthe season. She has also had two
18 strikeout games, one in seven inningsagainst Oregon and another
in 11 innings against Fresno State and has 18shutouts, 12 of
which have come against ranked teams. Among the team’s she has
shutout:No. 1 Florida, No. 2 UCLA, No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Stanford,
No. 6 Arizona, No. 7Michigan, No. 8 Georgia and No. 11 Ohio State.
Lawrie has 454 strikeouts thisseason, three shy of breaking her
own school record. She has gone over the1,000 career K mark and
the 1,200 career K mark this season and now has 1,298,fifth in
Pac-10 history and 15th in NCAA history along with four one-hittersand
10 two-hitters. She has won a Pac-10 record six Pitcher of the
Week awardsas well as been named the NFCA and USA Softball National
Player of the Week.Lawrie had a streak of 64.1 consecutive scoreless
innings earlier in the seasonand 90.0 consecutive innings without
allowing an earned run. She broke UW’scareer strikeout record
early in the season and also broke the single-season UWstrikeout
record. She also broke UW’s single-season shutout record with
18. Her35 wins are also one shy of the school record.

StaceyNelson – Florida – Senior – Los Alamitos, Calif. 
Seniorpitcher Stacey Nelson continues to move up the NCAA record
book, as she hastallied 131 wins in her career, seventh-best
all time.  She is second inSoutheastern Conference history, only
behind Tennessee's Monica Abbott (189).This season, her 37-3
(.925) record one of the best in the nation and her ERA(0.43)
leads the country.   She is the first Gator to tally 1,000career
strikeouts and sits in sixth in the SEC with 1,061.  She holds
19single-season and career pitching records at Florida, including
single-seasonshutouts (19, 2009) and career ERA (0.97).  She
has pitched two no-hittersin her career, both coming in her senior
year against SEC opponents.  In2008, she recorded a career-high
16 strikeouts in a 10-inning contest againstLong Beach State.
 This season, she tallied a season-high 14 Ks in theregional
win over Texas A&M in just seven innings.  For two years in arow,
Nelson has earned the SEC Pitcher of the Year award (2008, 09),
first-teamAll-SEC accolades (2008, 09) and SEC All-Defensive
team honors (2008, 09). Shewas named Pitcher of the Week three
times, tying for the most thisseason.   

Thisaward, which is considered the most prestigious honors in
Division I women'scollegiate softball, is designed to recognize
outstanding athletic achievementby female collegiate softball
players across the country. Past winners of thisaward include
UCLA's Stacey Nuveman, Florida State's Jessica Van der Linden,three-time
winner Texas pitcher Cat Osterman, Tennessee's Monica Abbott
andVirginia Tech's Angela Tincher. 

Holly Krivokapich

Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications
ASA/USA Softball

405-425-3431
www.asasoftball.com

www.usasoftball.com 

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