Jan. 28, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Senior Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) and junior Lauren Delaney (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias) have been named to the watch list for the Eighth Annual USA Softball Player of the Year Award, announced today (Jan. 28) by the Amateur Softball Association.
The 2009 watch list is comprised of 50 players from 32 schools and 13 different NCAA Division I conferences. The honor is the third for Williams, who was named a top-25 finalist for the award in 2007 and a top-10 finalist in 2008. Delaney's inclusion on the list is the first for the Wildcat ace.
Williams enters her senior year as a three-time NFCA All-American, twice earning first-team selections. Last season she broke the NU school record and ranked 13th in the nation with a .440 batting average while also earning a .750 slugging percentage, a .538 on-base percentage and Big Ten Player of the Year honors. Tammy is knocking on the door of several NCAA all-time lists, entering 2009 with a .412 career batting average, 246 hits, 187 runs scored, a .704 slugging percentage and a .491 on-base percentage.
Delaney is coming off an All-America caliber season. The reining Big Ten Pitcher of the Year ranked No. 6 in the nation in victories (37), No. 9 in strikeouts per seven innings (10.1, 461 total) and No. 9 in hits allowed per seven innings (3.73). Delaney did this while starting 79 percent of NU's games last year while appearing in 91 percent, compiling her impressive statistics against the nation's No. 7 strength of schedule.
Delaney's skill carried Northwestern to the Big Ten Championship, the Big Ten Tournament Championship (as MVP) and the NCAA Super Regionals. She put together a 40.0 inning scoreless streak spanning seven games and including five postseason shutouts while also tossing five different no-hitters (two against ranked opponents) during the year. In her two seasons at the collegiate level, the Northwestern ace is 56-13 with a 1.74 ERA, 651 strikeouts and a .160 opponent's batting average.
The ASA will announce the 25 finalists for the award on April 1. A player does not have to appear on the initial watch list to be considered a top-25 finalist. Just days before the start of post-season play, a list of 10 finalists will be named and released on May 6. The final three finalists will be announced May 20 while the winner of the 2009 USA Softball National 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.
For the complete USA Softball Player of the Year award watch list, link to USAsoftball.com.