LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Cal State San Marcos first baseman Paige Donnelly advanced to the exclusive 2022 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Year Top 25, announced by the coaches association Monday.
“This is a tremendous honor for Paige,” said Head Coach Stef Ewing. “It is not a surprise at all because her hard work has paid off and has set her up to be successful on the field.”
Donnelly, who was named 2022 CCAA Newcomer of the Year and to the All-CCAA first team, was an offensive threat at the top of the batting order all season long for the Cougars. The redshirt freshman from Poway led the CCAA in batting average (.442), slugging percentage (.752), on-base percentage (.493), OPS (1.245) and RBIs (54).
In Division II, she ranks 29th in RBIs, 30th in batting average and 44th in slugging percentage. She has recorded 16 multi-RBI games including two 5-RBI performances this season. She will enter the NCAA West Regional on a reached-base streak of 15 consecutive games.
The Player of the Year award was created in 2015 to honor the outstanding athletic achievements among softball student-athletes throughout NCAA Division II. In 2019, the Association expanded the award to include a Player and Pitcher of the Year. The list is compiled and the award is voted on by the elected members of the NFCA Division II All-American Committee with one head coach representing each of the eight NCAA regions. To be eligible, a student-athlete’s head coach must be a member.
No. 11 CSUSM will make its NCAA Division II postseason debut as the No. 1 seed and will host West Regional this week. The Cougars will open the tournament against eighth-seeded Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, May 12 at noon.
