Erin Coffel and Kayla Kowalik Placed on Player of Year Watch List

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky Softball players Erin Coffel and Kayla Kowalik were both named to the USA Softball Player of the Year watch list, the organization announced Wednesday.
 
There are 50 finalists, with the top player from collegiate softball earning the award each season.
 
Full List
 
Kowalik was in the final three last season, becoming the second-ever UK player to make the final cutoff, joining Abbey Cheek in 2019 to make the last three. Coffel was a finalist last season for USA Softball’s freshman of the year award.
 
Coffel and Kowalik were two of 18 total athletes to be named finalists from the Southeastern Conference, with seven teams logging two or more players on the award’s watch list.
 
The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, which is entering its 20th season, recognizes outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female collegiate softball players across the nation. Previous recipients of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award from SEC member institutions are Monica Abbott (Tennessee, 2007), Lauren Haeger (Florida, 2015) and Kelly Barnhill (Florida, 2017).
 
The Top 25 Finalists for the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be announced on Wednesday, April 20. While an athlete does not have to be on the “Watch List” to be considered for the Top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the Top 25 Finalists. The Top 10 Finalists will be revealed on Wednesday, May 4 and the Top 3 on Wednesday, May 18. The 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be announced prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series.
 
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