LOUISVILLE, Ky. – 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.
Ten programs – Dartmouth, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Fairleigh Dickinson, Harvard, Penn State, Portland State, Princeton, Saint Mary's and UNLV – are 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.
DP/UT-NP
Portland State
Third Base
Florida State
Third Base
Saint Mary's
First Base
Virginia Tech
Second Base
Oklahoma State
Catcher
UNLV
First Base
Oklahoma State
Pitcher
Southern Illinois
Pitcher
Dartmouth
Outfield
Texas
Pitcher
Texas
Outfield
Bosie State
Catcher
Arkansas
Pitcher
Penn State
Pitcher
Eastern Illinois
DP/UT-NP
Oklahoma
Outfield
Oklahoma
Pitcher
Florida
Utility-Pitcher
Eastern Kentucky
Outfield
Arizona
Pitcher
Fairleigh Dickinson
Utility-Pitcher
New Mexico State
Shortstop
Harvard
Shortstop
Florida State
Third Base
Princeton
TUCCI/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year previous winners
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
NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year
The NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded TUCCI/NFCA Freshman of the Year Awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to a comprehensive drills database, to in-person events and National Convention.
Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining over 7,000 coaches today!
