COLUMBIA, Mo. - USA Softball has released its pre-season collegiate player of the year top-50 watch list, and two Mizzou standouts have made the list of candidates.
Junior OF Emily Crane (Troy, Mo.) and sophomore RHP Tori Finucane (Germantown, Md.) represent Mizzou on the prestigious list, making Head Coach Ehren Earleywine's squad one of 12 to have multiple nominees among the 50 candidates, joining Auburn, Florida and Georgia from the ranks of the Southeastern Conference.
Crane ranked 10th in the SEC with a batting average of .389 a year ago, including 10 doubles and four home runs while driving in 37 runs and stealing 17 bases (in 19 attempts) in 49 games. Finucane won SEC Freshman of the Year honors in 2014 after posting a sterling 21-6 record with a 1.73 earned run average in 29 starts.
The Top 25 Finalists for the 2015 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award will be announced April 8. 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 May 6 and the Top 3 announced May 20. The 2015 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed May 26.
Mizzou, ranked 17th in the pre-season polls, is currently going through pre-season workouts in preparation for the 2015 season opener on Feb. 13th at the Dot Richardson Invitational in Clermont, Fla. with games that day against Louisville and Chattanooga. The home opener for MU is set for April 11th with a double-header against Southeast Missouri State (4 p.m. start time).
For more information regarding Mizzou Softball, please visit www.mutigers.com, or follow on Twitter at @mutigersdotcom and @mizzousoftball.