April 13, 2011

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Tiger redshirt sophomore Chelsea Thomas has been selected as one of 25 finalists for the 2011 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, as announced Wednesday afternoon by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America.  

The award, which is considered the most prestigious honor in Division I women's collegiate softball, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country.

This season, Thomas leads the nation with a 0.67 earned run average with her 17-3 record.  Opponents are hitting .145 against her this season, and she has 197 strikeouts to 22 walks entering play on Wednesday.  She has been named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week three times, and won both the NFCA Player of the Week and USA Softball Player of the Week awards after throwing two perfect games in one week in early March.

The Top 25 list represents 17 schools and six different NCAA Division I Conferences. The list is comprised of nine seniors, six juniors, nine sophomores and one freshman. The 2011 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be chosen from the 25 finalists.  The current 25-person list will be cut down to a list of 10 finalists on March 11, with the three finalists being named on May 25.  The winner of the award will be announced on May 31st, prior to the start of the 2011 Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla.