The list will be narrowed down to the Top 25 Finalists April 20.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A trio of Florida softball players, Hannah Adams, Charla Echols and Skylar Wallace were named to the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 “Watch List” Wednesday afternoon by USA Softball. Florida’s three representatives are tied for the second most by any program in the country.
Last year, Adams was a Top 25 Finalist for the award after a stellar 2021 season, while Echols makes her third appearance on the Top 50 “Watch List”. This year also marks the first year that Wallace has made the prestigious list.
Echols, a unanimous 2021 NFCA First Team All-American selection, led the Gators with a .375 (60-of-160) average at the plate with 15 home runs, 11 doubles and three triples. Adams, a 2021 NFCA Third Team All-American, finished last season with a .356 (63-of-177) batting average with 10 home runs and eight doubles.
The duo of Adams and Echols were also tabbed All-SEC First Team and All-SEC Defensive Team selections.
Wallace, a redshirt-junior, is set to compete in her first season with the Gators since having to sit out the 2021 season. However, during the shortened 2020 season at Alabama, she batted .387 (24-of-62) with five doubles, two triples, a home run and was 9-of-10 on stolen base attempts.
Lauren Haeger & Kelly Barnhill are the only Gators to have won the prestigious award. Haeger earned the title in 2015 after leading Florida to the program’s second national championship and Barnhill secured the honor after have a historic season in 2017.
The 2022 Top 50 “Watch List” is highlighted by 21 pitchers and 29 position players with athletes representing 27 different universities from across the country. Oklahoma leads the way with four athletes represented while Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Oklahoma State and UCLA are highlighted with three athletes apiece.
A total of seven athletic conferences are represented in the preseason “Watch List” with the Southeastern Conference (SEC) accounting for nine member-schools followed by the Pac-12 and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with five schools apiece. Additionally, the Big 12 conference is represented by three college programs followed by two schools from the Big Ten conference and American Athletic Conference (AAC) and one school from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
The Top 25 Finalists for the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be announced 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 May 4 with the Top 3 being released May 18. The 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be announced prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series.
Florida opens its 2022 season Friday, Feb. 11, at 5:30 p.m. against Illinois State in Tampa, Fla. at USF’s tournament. The program’s first home game is set for Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 6 p.m. against Jacksonville.
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