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OKLAHOMA CITY - Redshirt junior Rachel Garcia, junior Bubba Nickles and redshirt sophomore Aaliyah Jordan were all named to the Top 50 Watch List for the 2019 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, as announced by USA Softball on Wednesday.
The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, which is entering its 18th season, recognizes outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female collegiate softball players across the country. Among the previous UCLA recipients of the POY award are the inaugural winner, Stacey Nuveman in 2002, and last year's winner, Garcia.
The Watch List includes 24 seniors, 16 juniors and 10 sophomores. Freshmen can be considered for the USA Softball POY award once they have competed at the collegiate level. The Top 25 finalists for the award will be announced on April 24. While an athlete does not have to be on the Watch List to be considered for the Top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the Top 25 finalists. The Top 10 finalists will be announced on May 8, and the Top 3 will be announced on May 22. The 2019 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed May 28 in Oklahoma City.
Along with being named USA Softball POY last season, Garcia was the Honda Sport Award winner for softball, NFCA and ESPNW National Player of the Year, Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year, NFCA First Team All-American, NFCA First Team All-Region and All-Pac-12 First Team. Garcia was 29-4 in the circle with a 1.31 earned run average and 315 strikeouts in 208 innings, while at the plate, she was second on the team with 11 home runs and 54 runs batted in, adding a .339 batting average.
Jordan last season was a First Team NFCA All-American, First Team NFCA All-Region, Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Pac-12 Batting Champion, All-Pac-12 First Team, Pac-12 All-Freshman Team and a Top 10 finalist for the NFCA FOY and USA Softball POY awards. She led the team with a .429 average, 12 homers, 67 RBI, 84 hits, 15 doubles, 141 total bases, a .719 slugging, a .491 on base percentage and 27 walks.
Nickles was named NFCA All-Region First Team and All-Pac-12 Second Team, leading the Bruins with seven sacrifice hits, ranking second with a .413 batting average, 14 doubles, a .674 slugging, a .479 on base percentage, 124 total bases and six hit by pitches and third with 10 homers and 52 RBI.
The Bruins, who are ranked first in the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason poll and second in the USA Today/NFCA preseason ranking, open the 2019 campaign on Thursday, Feb. 7 with a doubleheader in Honolulu against UT Arlington (11 a.m. PT) and Fresno State (1:30 p.m. PT).
OKLAHOMA CITY - Redshirt junior Rachel Garcia, junior Bubba Nickles and redshirt sophomore Aaliyah Jordan were all named to the Top 50 Watch List for the 2019 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, as announced by USA Softball on Wednesday.
The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, which is entering its 18th season, recognizes outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female collegiate softball players across the country. Among the previous UCLA recipients of the POY award are the inaugural winner, Stacey Nuveman in 2002, and last year's winner, Garcia.
The Watch List includes 24 seniors, 16 juniors and 10 sophomores. Freshmen can be considered for the USA Softball POY award once they have competed at the collegiate level. The Top 25 finalists for the award will be announced on April 24. While an athlete does not have to be on the Watch List to be considered for the Top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the Top 25 finalists. The Top 10 finalists will be announced on May 8, and the Top 3 will be announced on May 22. The 2019 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed May 28 in Oklahoma City.
Along with being named USA Softball POY last season, Garcia was the Honda Sport Award winner for softball, NFCA and ESPNW National Player of the Year, Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year, NFCA First Team All-American, NFCA First Team All-Region and All-Pac-12 First Team. Garcia was 29-4 in the circle with a 1.31 earned run average and 315 strikeouts in 208 innings, while at the plate, she was second on the team with 11 home runs and 54 runs batted in, adding a .339 batting average.
Jordan last season was a First Team NFCA All-American, First Team NFCA All-Region, Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Pac-12 Batting Champion, All-Pac-12 First Team, Pac-12 All-Freshman Team and a Top 10 finalist for the NFCA FOY and USA Softball POY awards. She led the team with a .429 average, 12 homers, 67 RBI, 84 hits, 15 doubles, 141 total bases, a .719 slugging, a .491 on base percentage and 27 walks.
Nickles was named NFCA All-Region First Team and All-Pac-12 Second Team, leading the Bruins with seven sacrifice hits, ranking second with a .413 batting average, 14 doubles, a .674 slugging, a .479 on base percentage, 124 total bases and six hit by pitches and third with 10 homers and 52 RBI.
The Bruins, who are ranked first in the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason poll and second in the USA Today/NFCA preseason ranking, open the 2019 campaign on Thursday, Feb. 7 with a doubleheader in Honolulu against UT Arlington (11 a.m. PT) and Fresno State (1:30 p.m. PT).