Four Conference Carolinas Student-Athletes Named to 2023 Tucci/NFCA Division II National Player/Pitcher of the Year Watch List
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) released the 150 student-athletes named to the 2023 Tucci/NFCA Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year watchlist and Conference Carolinas had four honored.
New in 2023, the list is broken down into the eight NCAA Regions (Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast and West) with up to 15 student-athletes represented in each region. The list is compiled and the award is voted on by the elected members of the NFCA Division II All-American Committee with one head coach representing each of the eight NCAA regions. To be eligible, a student-athlete’s head coach must be a NFCA member.
In the Southeast Region, outfielders Courtlynn Cooney of Mount Olive and Lexis Wilkinson of North Greenville, shortstop Makayla Cuthbertson of Francis Marion and pitcher Maddie Edwards of Emmanuel earned the honors.
A junior from Mechanicsville, Maryland, Cooney currently leads Conference Carolinas with a .489 batting average in 94 at-bats with 25 runs scored and seven RBI. She has also stolen a league-best 25 bases and been caught just twice.
The second-best batting average in the league belongs to Wilkinson, a sophomore from Indian Land, South Carolina. She has hit .485 this season in 99 at-bats with a 1.077 ops. She has scored 30 runs, driven in 13 and is 14-of-18 on the bases this season.
An Indian Trail, North Carolina native, Cuthbertson is hitting .435 this season in a league-leading 115 at-bats this season. The junior leads the league with 47 runs scored and is second with 36 RBI. She has been caught just once in 18 stolen base attempts.
A junior from Lakeland, Florida, Edwards has a conference-best 1.57 earned run average in 98 innings pitched with an 11-2 record and 14 complete games in 14 starts. She has four shutouts this season with 98 strikeouts and 15 walks. She has held the opponent to a .165 batting average.
The Player of the Year award was created in 2015 to honor the outstanding athletic achievements among softball student-athletes throughout NCAA Division II. In 2019, the Association expanded the award to include a Player and Pitcher of the Year.
The 2023 Tucci/NFCA Player and Pitcher of the Year will be announced on June 1. All student-athletes are eligible for the end-of-the-season award and do not have to be on this list to be considered.
The complete NFCA release is available here.