Northwestern University Athletics
Rachel Lewis One Of 10 Finalists for NFCA National Freshman Of The Year
5/10/2018 9:52:00 AM | Softball
EVANSTON, Ill. – First-year second baseman Rachel Lewis is one of 10 finalists for the Schutt Sports / NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced today.
Lewis was initially named a top-25 candidate for the award on April 19. She now joins a list of 10 finalists that will be whittled to three 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.
To view the complete list of top-10 finalists, link to NFCA.org.
Lewis has burst onto the Division I scene with a precocious blend of power and speed, quickly becoming one of the top run producers in the entire nation. In addition to ranking among the top-15 in the country in RBIs, home runs and runs per game, Lewis won the Big Ten overall RBI (59) and runs scored (53) crowns in 2018. Her speed has also led to 21 stolen bases on the season.
She has done her best against the best: In 27 games against the current Top-75 RPI teams in the nation, Lewis batted .385, slugged .949 and had a .520 OBP. She hit 12 of her 17 home runs on the season against this group, driving in 34 runs (1.26 per game) and scoring 30 runs (1.11 per game).
On Wednesday, Lewis was named a unanimous All-Big Ten first-team selection, headlining a group of five Wildcats who won all-conference honors. Lewis was 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.
The Schutt Sports / 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.
Northwestern is back in action in a quarterfinal matchup at the Big Ten Tournament hosted by Wisconsin. The No. 4 seed Wildcats will face either No. 5 seed Ohio State or No. 12 seed Iowa at 7 p.m. Friday, May 11.
Lewis was initially named a top-25 candidate for the award on April 19. She now joins a list of 10 finalists that will be whittled to three 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.
To view the complete list of top-10 finalists, link to NFCA.org.
Lewis has burst onto the Division I scene with a precocious blend of power and speed, quickly becoming one of the top run producers in the entire nation. In addition to ranking among the top-15 in the country in RBIs, home runs and runs per game, Lewis won the Big Ten overall RBI (59) and runs scored (53) crowns in 2018. Her speed has also led to 21 stolen bases on the season.
She has done her best against the best: In 27 games against the current Top-75 RPI teams in the nation, Lewis batted .385, slugged .949 and had a .520 OBP. She hit 12 of her 17 home runs on the season against this group, driving in 34 runs (1.26 per game) and scoring 30 runs (1.11 per game).
On Wednesday, Lewis was named a unanimous All-Big Ten first-team selection, headlining a group of five Wildcats who won all-conference honors. Lewis was 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.
The Schutt Sports / 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.
Northwestern is back in action in a quarterfinal matchup at the Big Ten Tournament hosted by Wisconsin. The No. 4 seed Wildcats will face either No. 5 seed Ohio State or No. 12 seed Iowa at 7 p.m. Friday, May 11.
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