The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) based in Louisville, Ky. announced on Thursday, April 26, 2024, the 25 freshmen who are under consideration to be the DI Freshman of the Year.

Here is the content from the press release announcing the candidates…

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The NFCA revealed its 2024 TUCCI/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25 list on Thursday afternoon. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, May 28 prior to the start of the 2024 NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.

This year’s finalists hail from 21 different universities and represent 14 NCAA Division I conferences from across the nation. 

The Big 12 Conference led the way with six honorees, while the Atlantic Coast Conference and Ivy League followed with three representatives apiece, while two student-athletes each hailed from the Mountain West Conference and the Southeastern Conference.

Leagues with one selection apiece were the ASUN Conference, Big Sky Conference, Big Ten Conference, Conference USA, Missouri Valley Conference, Northeast Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Pac-12 Conference and West Coast Conference.

Three programs from the Big 12, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas, along with Florida State out of the ACC each had two honorees.

The Sooners pushed their all-time total to 11, breaking the stalemate with UCLA for the most Top 25 selections. The Seminoles, along with Arizona and Alabama, follow with eight.

There are 10 programs – Dartmouth, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Fairleigh Dickinson, Harvard, Penn State, Portland State, Princeton, Saint Mary’s and UNLV – represented for the first time. The record trio of Ivy student-athletes join Penn to bring the league’s total to four. 

On May 9, the list will be trimmed to the top 10 and the three finalists will be released on May 23, and as previously mentioned, the winner will be revealed on May 28.

The list of 25 was selected by the NFCA.  The top 10, top three and winner are voted on by the NFCA Division I All-America Committee.

To be eligible, student-athletes must be nominated by their member head coach and in their first year of NCAA Division I collegiate competition as a true freshman or redshirt freshman. Nominated student-athletes remain in consideration for Top-10 selection.

The TUCCI/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 2024, 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.

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The 2024 TUCCI/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25 Finalists

• Lorraine Alo, DP/UT-NP, Portland State
• Jaysoni Beachum, Third Base, Florida State
• Sam Buckley, Third Base, Saint Mary’s
• Michelle Chatfield, First Base, Virginia Tech
• Rosie Davis, Second Base, Oklahoma State
• Jesse Farrell, Catcher, UNLV
• Karli Godwin, First Base, Oklahoma State
• Maddia Groff, Pitcher, Southern Illinois
• Jensin Hall, Pitcher, Dartmouth
• Kayden Henry, Outfield, Texas
• Teagan Kavan, Pitcher, Texas
• Sophia Knight, Outfield, Boise State
• Kennedy Miller, Catcher, Arkansas
• Bridget Nemeth, Pitcher, Penn State
• McKenzie Oslanzi, Pitcher, Eastern Illinois
• Ella Parker, DP/UT-NP, Oklahoma
• Kasidi Pickering, Outfield, Oklahoma
• Keagan Rothrock, Pitcher, Florida
• Maddi Rutan, Utility-Pitcher, Eastern Kentucky
• Regan Shockey, Outfield, Arizona
• Brooklyn Shroyer, Pitcher, Fairleigh Dickinson
• Desirae Spearman, Utility-Pitcher, New Mexico State
• Sophie Sun, Shortstop, Harvard
• Isa Torres, Shortstop, Florida State
• Sonia Zhang, Third Base, Princeton

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Here is the list of the previous winners:

TUCCI/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year (2014 – 2023)

• 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