FRESNO, Calif. - Freshman right-hander Jamie Southern has made the Top 10 list for the inaugural USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, as announced by the Amateur Softball Association.
One of 25 players named last month, Southern is one of two freshman and one of six players who made the top 10 cut. Leading the nation in ERA and second in wins, Southern owns a 31-7 overall record with 20 shutouts, three no-hitters and 361 strikeouts as a rookie.
She already has set the school's single-season strikeout record and is looking to become just the third freshman pitcher in NCAA history to tally 400 strikeouts in a season.
Below is an alphabetical listing of the 10 finalists:
Jaime Clark, Jr., Shortstop, Washington
Jennie Finch, Sr., Pitcher, Arizona
Keira Goerl, So., Pitcher, UCLA
Nikki Myers, Sr., Pitcher, Florida Atlantic
Stacey Nuveman, Sr., Catcher, UCLA
Cat Osterman, Fr., Pitcher, Texas
Britni Sneed, Sr., Pitcher, LSU
Jamie Southern, Fr., Pitcher, Fresno State
Natasha Watley, Jr., Shortstop, UCLA
Phelan Wright, So., Third Base, Arizona State
The list will be narrowed down to three on May 31 and the Player of the Year will be announced June 7.