Cassie Young Repeats on NFCA Top 50 National Player of the Year Watch List

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Saint Mary's senior outfielder Cassie Young was one of 50 NCAA Division III softball players to be chosen for the 2018 Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III National Player of the Year watch list.

It is the second consecutive season Young has been named to the preseason list. She is one of 24 seniors to represent their respective programs in 2018.

"For Cassie to be named to the watch list by the NFCA two years in-a-row is a remarkable and tremendous honor," said head coach Kelli Zache Martin. "Her great work ethic, desire, discipline, and humility have helped pave the path for her success. Every drill, every practice, every team event, you can see her fire and passion for the sport of softball. She is incredible to watch play the game she loves so much, and she's an even more incredible teammate and person off the field."

With more than 400 Division III member institutions sponsoring softball, the list puts Young in exclusive yet not unfamiliar company. In each of the last two years, she was named First Team All-Region and was recognized as the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Most Valuable Player. Additionally, she was among the top 180 players in Division III statistically in batting average, total hits, on base percentage, runs per game, sacrifice flies, sacrifice hits per game, and triples in 2017.

Last spring, Young became the first player in program history to gain a spot on the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List. This year, she is joined by Hope's Sydney Jones and Trine's Kaylee Fox as 2018 representatives from MIAA programs.

For the full list of the 2018 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Player of the Year watch list, visit the NFCA release here.