University of Oregon’s Rylee McCoy, University of Florida’s Taylor Shumaker and University of Alabama’s Audrey Vandagriff are the three finalists for the 2025 NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year award, the Association revealed on Thursday afternoon.

The winner, which is voted on by the Association’s Division I All-America Committee, will be announced on Tuesday, May 27 prior to the start of the 2025 NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.

Here’s more on the three finalists:

Rylee McCoy

McCoy is the third Duck to earn top-three status, joining Jenna Lilley in 2015 and Maggie Balint in 2017. The rookie first baseman is a key cog in Oregon reaching the Super Regionals this upcoming weekend.

A first-team NFCA All-Region selection, McCoy is batting .396 with a .478 on-base percentage and .859 slugging percentage. She owns Oregon’s single-season freshman home run record and is currently tied for the program single-season record with 19 long balls.

Her home runs and 58 RBI lead the Ducks to go along with 12 doubles and 36 runs scored. A strong defensive first baseman, McCoy has handled 234 chances with just one error for a .996 field percentage.

Taylor Shumaker

Behind a stellar freshman campaign, Shumaker is the second straight Gator (Keagan Rothrock in 2024) and the fourth overall (Kelly Barnhill & Amanda Lorenz in 2016) to reach the top three.

A first-team NFCA All-Region and All-SEC selection, Shumaker is tied for second in Division I with 83 RBI, tied for 13^th with 21 home runs to go along with a .387 batting average, 17 doubles, 70 runs scored and .817 slugging percentage and 18 stolen bases in 19 attempts.

She has set new Florida freshman records for home runs, RBI, doubles and runs scored. Shumaker made a mark in her postseason debut, batting .571 with six runs scored, three home runs and seven RBI in the Gators’ three-game sweep of the NCAA Gainesville Regional.

_{Audrey Vandagriff}

Vandagriff, a first-team NFCA All-Region and All-SEC recipient, is the third Alabama freshman in the top three, joining Alexis Osorio in 2015 and Montana Fouts in 2019.

She leads the team with a .406 batting average, 69 hits, 51 runs, 37 walks and a .507 on-base percentage. Vandagriff has swiped 50 bases, which ranks tied for second in Division I and is an Alabama freshman record.

She has also recorded eight doubles, three triples and six home runs. The center fielder sports a .987 fielding percentage with one miscue over 79 chances.

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All three finalists will be participating with their teams in Super Regionals this weekend.

McCoy and Shumaker will be at home with their programs hosting Liberty and Georgia, respectively, while Vandagriff and the Crimson Tide head to Norman to face Oklahoma. 

The NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award was created in 2014 to honor outstanding athletic achievement among Division I freshmen softball student-athletes.

In 2025, the NFCA will award Freshman of the Year plaudits to a student-athlete from NCAA DI, NCAA DII, NCAA DIII and NAIA. For more information about all NFCA Awards, visit nfca.org.

Previous NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Winners

• 2024 – Jaysoni Beachum, Florida State;
• 2023 – NiJaree Canady, Stanford;
• 2022 – Jordy Bahl, Oklahoma;
• 2021 – Tiare Jennings, Oklahoma;
• 2019 – Danielle Williams, Northwestern;
• 2018 – Jocelyn Alo, Oklahoma;
• 2017 – Rachel Garcia, UCLA;
• 2016 – Amanda Lorenz, Florida;
• 2015 – Paige Parker, Oklahoma;
• 2014 – Annie Aldrete, Tennessee & Kasey Cooper, Auburn