LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KLFY) – Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball freshman outfielder Mihyia Davis is one of 25 players in the running for the 2023 TUCCI/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award, announced Friday (April 28, 2023).
The list of 25 will be narrowed to a Top 10 on May 11 with the Top 3 being revealed May 25 and the Freshman of the Year award winner announced on May 30 prior to the start of the 2023 NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. The list of 25 was selected by the NFCA.
Davis, who burst onto the scene with her diving catch at LSU in February that drew national acclaim, has recorded eight (8) outfield assists and 40 stolen bases in 46 attempts (87% success rate) in her collegiate debut campaign.
Last weekend at Troy she became only the third Ragin’ Cajun in program history to reach 40 stolen bases in a single season (joining Keeli Milligan and Dorsey Steamer) and is the only player nationwide averaging over 1.0 steals per game – ranks No. 1 nationally in stolen bases per game.
The slap-hit specialist leads Louisiana with 16 multi-hit games, 50 total hits and a .385 average. She’s posted multiple steals 10 times.
ABOUT THE NFCA NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
This year’s finalists hail from 23 different universities and represent 11 NCAA Division I conferences from across the nation.
The Atlantic Coast Conference led the way with five honorees, while the Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference followed with four representatives. The Missouri Valley Conference was represented by three student-athletes, while the Big 12 and Sun Belt each had two. Leagues with a selection apiece were the A10 Conference, Big Ten Conference, Patriot League, Southland Conference and Western Athletic Conference.
The TUCCI/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award was created in 2014 to honor outstanding athletic achievement among Division I freshmen softball student-athletes. To be eligible, student-athletes must be nominated by their member head coach and in their first year of NCAA Division I collegiate competition as a true freshman or redshirt freshman.
In 2023, the NFCA will award Freshman of the Year honors to a student-athlete from NCAA DI, NCAA DII, NCAA DIII and NAIA. For more information about all NFCA Awards, visit nfca.org.
2023 TUCCI/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25
Sydney Berzon, LSU
Kenleigh Cahalan, Alabama
NiJaree Canady, Stanford
Cassidy Curd, Duke
Mihyia Davis, Louisiana
Olivia DiNardo, Arizona
AB Garcia*, Houston Christian
Leighann Goode, Texas
Sarah Gordon, Louisville
Megan Grant, UCLA
Jade Hylton, Virginia
D’Auna Jennings, Duke
Maya Johnson, Belmont
Reagan Johnson, Arkansas
Izzy Kemp, Dayton
Taryn Kern, Indiana
Jackie Lis, Southern Illinois
KK Mathis, James Madison
Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee
Alexis Pupillo, Northern Iowa
Makenna Reid, Florida State
Kasey Ricard, Boston University
Tanya Windle, Utah Tech
Jordan Woolery, UCLA
Kailey Wyckoff, Texas Tech
* denotes red-shirt freshman
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