Jan. 24, 2007
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. --- Baylor softball players Chelsi Lake and Brette Reagan have been named to the initial "watch list" for the 6th Annual USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award the Amateur Softball Association announced Wednesday. The players are one of six listed on the list from the Big 12 Conference as Baylor is the only Big 12 school to place two players on the initial list.
Reagan, who was named Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year and a second-team NFCA All-America last season, batted .355 in 2006 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI as she established freshman school records in nearly every hitting category in 2006.
Lake, who earned third-team NFCA All-America honors last year, established a new school record with 18 home runs while leading the team with a .362 average and 52 RBI in 2006. The catcher ranked second in the Big 12 Conference in home runs as she finished the season ranked 18th in the country with 0.3 home runs per game and 24th in the nation with a .741 slugging percentage.
Lake and Reagan, who both earned first-team All-Big 12 Conference and NFCA All-Midwest region honors, are only the third and fourth players in school history to be named to the initial watch list. Former Baylor player Harmony Schwethelm joined Lake on last year's initial watch list.
The 2007 Pre-Season Watch List is comprised of 50 players representing 33 schools and 11 different NCAA Division I Conferences. A complete list of the players with photos and links to their collegiate bios can be found in the College Corner on the USA Softball website (www.usasoftball.com).
The ASA will announce the 25 finalists on April 4. A player does not have to appear on the initial watch list to be considered as a Top 25 finalist, but once the Top 25 is named the remaining finalist must be selected from that list.
Just days before the start of post-season play, a list of 10 finalists will be named and released on May 9. The final three finalists will be announced May 23 while the winner of the 2006 USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award will be announced prior to the start of the 2007 NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
The 2007 ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Pre-Season Poll will be announced on Tuesday, January 30.
