University of Minnesota Athletics
Groenewegen Tabbed Player of the Year Finalist
5/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
ASA/USA Softball Release | Top 10 Finalists
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Minnesota softball sophomore Sara Groenewegen was named a top-10 finalist for the 2015 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, the Amateur Softball Association of America and USA Softball announced Wednesday. Groenewegen Is the Gophers' first top-10 finalist for the award, is the top-10 list's lone underclassman and is one of two remaining candidates for the award from the Big Ten.
The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year is considered the most prestigious honor in Division I women's softball and is designed to recognize the outstanding athletic achievement by female players across the country. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, May 26 just prior to the start of the NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
The top three finalists selected from this list will be announced May 20.
Groenewegen has led Minnesota to one of its best regular seasons in school history. In the circle, she has gone 28-4 with a 1.52 earned run average, racking up 332 strikeouts. Her strikeout and win totals rank second in a single season in program history.
At the plate, the White Rock, B.C. native has a .384 batting average and leads the Maroon and Gold with 12 home runs, a .686 slugging percentage and a .490 on-base percentage.
The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award is voted on by coaching representatives from 10 Division I Conferences in the 15 ASA Regions, members of the media who consistently cover Division I Softball across the country as well as past winners of the award.
Minnesota will pick up play at the Big Ten Tournament in Columbus, Ohio this week. The defending champion Gophers will be the tournament's second seed and will receive a bye in the first round. They will play either No. 7 seed Rutgers or 10th-seeded Iowa in the quarterfinal round at 7 p.m. CT Friday on the Big Ten Network.
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