Northwestern University Athletics
Rachel Lewis Named NFCA National Freshman of The Year Top 25 Candidate
4/19/2018 10:05:00 AM | Softball
EVANSTON, Ill. – First-year second baseman Rachel Lewis has been named a Top 25 candidate for the Schutt Sports/NFCA National Freshman of the Year Award, the organization announced today.
Lewis has burst onto the Division I scene with a precocious blend of power and speed, currently ranking seventh in the NCAA with 1.29 RBIs per game and ninth in home runs per game. She also is tops in the Big Ten in both total RBIs (50) and runs scored (40) while ranking sixth with 14 stolen bases.
Lewis has been racking up these numbers against the best of the best. She smoked a three-run home run in a Northwestern win over No. 11 Alabama in early March, then torched defending Big Ten champion Minnesota for a pair of home runs in a comeback victory. After smashing three home runs including a grand slam in a doubleheader at Illinois, Lewis drove in six and homered twice more in a sweep of No. 22 Ohio State last week.
Lewis has been honored with a Big Ten weekly award three times this season, winning the league's Player of the Week nod once while twice picking up the Freshman of the Week laurel.
On May 10, the list will be trimmed down to the Top 10, while the top three finalists will be selected and released on May 23. The Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year trophy will be presented during a live ceremony at the Women's College World Series banquet on May 29.
Northwestern is back in action this weekend, April 20-22, in a Big Ten series at Rutgers. First pitch in Friday's opener is at 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET.
Lewis has burst onto the Division I scene with a precocious blend of power and speed, currently ranking seventh in the NCAA with 1.29 RBIs per game and ninth in home runs per game. She also is tops in the Big Ten in both total RBIs (50) and runs scored (40) while ranking sixth with 14 stolen bases.
Lewis has been racking up these numbers against the best of the best. She smoked a three-run home run in a Northwestern win over No. 11 Alabama in early March, then torched defending Big Ten champion Minnesota for a pair of home runs in a comeback victory. After smashing three home runs including a grand slam in a doubleheader at Illinois, Lewis drove in six and homered twice more in a sweep of No. 22 Ohio State last week.
Lewis has been honored with a Big Ten weekly award three times this season, winning the league's Player of the Week nod once while twice picking up the Freshman of the Week laurel.
On May 10, the list will be trimmed down to the Top 10, while the top three finalists will be selected and released on May 23. The Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year trophy will be presented during a live ceremony at the Women's College World Series banquet on May 29.
Northwestern is back in action this weekend, April 20-22, in a Big Ten series at Rutgers. First pitch in Friday's opener is at 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET.
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