PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

Amateur Softball Association announces final three
for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year
Winner to be announced on May 26th

               Oklahoma City, OK---The Amateur Softball Association, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, announced today the three finalists for the third annual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award. The initial list of 25 finalists was announced April 7 with that list being narrowed down to 10 on April 30.  This award is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country.
              

The three finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award, listed in alphabetical order, are:

Alicia Hollowell, Pitcher, University of Arizona
Iyhia McMichael, Outfielder, Mississippi State University
Jessica van der Linden, Pitcher/Outfielder, Florida State University
              
               

Alicia Hollowell

Iyhia McMichael

Jessica van der Linden

Sophomore Alicia Hollowell (Suisun, CA) has led the Arizona Wildcats to the 2004 Pac 10 title and kept the Wildcats ranked No. 1 for the past nine consecutive weeks. With a 38-2 record she is tied for third in wins in the nation and leads the country in strikeouts per seven innings with an average of 12.4. Her season total of 466 strikeouts is within reach of the Pac 10 record of 484 set by Cal’s Michele Granger in 1993. Over half of her wins have been via shutout with 19 coming individually and three combined.

“This is one of the biggest honors I have ever received,” Hollowell said.  “We have worked all year through the wins and losses and no matter what the hard work has paid off.  I would never be able to do anything without my teammates.  They are the ones that really make me look good.”

               “This is quite an honor for Alicia to be considered among the top three players in the country because there are so many great players out there, but she is certainly among the top,” Arizona head coach Larry Ray said. “She is the one that we go to when we have to get a win and she has come through for us all season. Hopefully her best performances are yet to come.”

               Mississippi State senior Iyhia McMichael (Nacogdoches, TX) currently leads the nation in batting average (.484) and ranks in the top five in three other categories. She ranks second in runs per game with a total of 78 and 1.32 per game, second in triples per game with a total of nine and 0.15 per game and fourth in slugging percentage with a 0.863 percentage.

               She has been the catalyst for the Bulldogs the entire season and is continuing to conquer the school’s record books. She currently owns or shares 28 batting records at MSU, including four single season records in 2004. Against ranked opponents in 2004 she is hitting .439 (25.for-57) with 12 extra-base hits, nine RBI and 22 runs scored. She is currently on a 17-game hitting streak in which she has posted a .578 batting average (26-for-45) with eight extra-base hits, nine RBI, 28 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. During this streak Mississippi State is 15-2.   

"I am both shocked and honored to be selected because there are so many outstanding players playing the game today,” McMichael said. “To be selected as one of the top three players in the country has only showed me what faith, hard work and perseverance can bring you. I owe a lot of credit to the coaches and players on my team and the support they have given me both on and off the field. Our team is really beginning to gel and that has only elevated me to strive to work harder and accept my role on this team."

"Iyhia has come out and shown people the type of ball player that she is by putting up better numbers than she did last year,” MSU Head Coach Jay Miller said. “She has worked tirelessly to come in and improve herself each and every day, both as a player and as a leader. We have asked her to do some different things this year by switching her over to the leadoff spot and she has really helped our ball club offensively. But, I think it has also given her the chance to do some more things and show her versatility."

"This is a tremendous honor for our program, Mississippi State University and the Southeastern Conference. Obviously, she is one that we are going to greatly miss. She is definitely somebody that you can't replace - that type of athlete and that type of ball player. We're looking forward to Iyhia finishing out her senior year very strong."

               A top 10 finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year in 2003, Florida State senior Jessica van der Linden (Cerritos, CA) advances into the top three for the first time in her career. She has improved her stats from 2003 by lowering her ERA from 1.07 to 0.48 which ranks second in the nation and has six more wins and one less loss. In 2003 this Seminole pitched 14 games in which she didn’t allow an earned run, this year she had done that 25 times. She is one of just two pitchers in the country to be ranked in the top five in strikeouts and earned run average and no other player has a higher batting average and lower ERA than here.

               So far in 2004 she has set career records at FSU for doubles, walks and RBI. She is less than 20 strikeouts away from breaking the FSU career record that has stood since 1988. With 305 strikeouts this season she is just three shy of a new single season record. Of Florida State’s 53 wins, van der Linden has won 31 of the 53 games with either a game-winning RBI or from inside the pitching circle. She is 24-5 on the mound and has a team-leading 17 game-winning RBIs.

"It feels great to be on this impressive list. It is truly an honor," van der Linden said. "I want to thank USA Softball for this honor and I just feel so privileged to be on a list with these players. I have never focused on individual honors but winning the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award would be truly special for me. I want to thank my teammates and coaches because none of this would have been possible without them."

"It is an honor that USA Softball thinks that highly of Jessica's performance this year that they have made her a top three finalist for their collegiate player of the year award,” Florida State head coach Dr. JoAnne Graf said. “It is a credit to Jessica's work ethic and desire all year long that she has achieved this goal. She is a special player and person and we are all extremely proud of her and her accomplishments."
              

The winner of the 2004 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award will be announced May 26 during the opening ceremonies of the NCAA Women’s College World Series, and will be recognized and presented with the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year trophy during the ASA National Council Meeting in Mobile, Alabama, in November.

 A replica of the award will be placed in a permanent display in the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, along with photos of the winner. An additional replica of the award will be presented to the player’s academic institution at a designated event in the fall.

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