2 hours ago
Florida Athletics
Photo: Florida Athletics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Skylar Wallace of the Florida softball team was named a 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 3 Finalist by USA Softball. Wallace is the first UF player to be selected as a top finalist since Amanda Lorenz and Kelly Barnhill were named „Top 4“ finalists in 2018.
Wallace, a redshirt-junior, has followed up her historic 2022 season where she was the only known player in NCAA Division I history since 2002 to score 70 or more runs, produce 70 or more hits, record 50 or more RBI and stolen bases, with another impressive season where she is currently the only player in the nation with 65 or more runs (69), 55 or more RBI (55), 45 or more walks (49) and 30 or more stolen bases (30).
This season, the Woodstock, Ga. native’s impressive stat line also include a 1.036 slugging percentage that leads all NCAA Division I players and she ranks second nationally in on base percentage (.610), second in triples (8), fourth in walks per game (0.94), fourth in total bases (142), fifth in batting average (.460) and seventh in home runs (19).
Joining Wallace as a finalist for one of the most prestigious awards in the sport is UCLA’s Maya Brady and Clemson’s two-way standout Valerie Cagle. When compared to the final three finalists, Wallace has the highest overall batting average and batting average against Top 25 opponents (.439).
2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 3 Finalists
| NAME | At-Bats | Average | Runs | Hits | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SLG% | BB | SO | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wallace | 137 | .460 | 69 | 63 | 6 | 8 | 19 | 55 | 1.036 | 49 | 14 | 30 |
| Brady | 166 | .458 | 63 | 76 | 12 | 3 | 18 | 59 | 0.892 | 25 | 19 | 7 |
| Cagle | 162 | .457 | 46 | 74 | 14 | 1 | 18 | 53 | 0.889 | 28 | 20 | 5 |
Lauren Haeger & Kelly Barnhill are the only Gators to have won the prestigious award. Haeger earned the title in 2015 after leading Florida to the program’s second national championship and Barnhill secured the honor after having a historic season in 2017.
The 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be announced May 30, at the athlete banquet prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS) set to take place at the Softball Capital of the World® June 1-9.
