Skylar Wallace is the first player in Florida program history to be selected for the prestigious award.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Friday afternoon Skylar Wallace of the Florida softball team was officially named the TUCCI/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I Player of the Year. This is the first time a Gator has won the prestigious award since it was introduced in 2016.
“I couldn’t be prouder of Skylar and her being named the NFCA Player of the Year,” Walton said. “She has worked so hard on improving her game on the infield and at the plate, while also striving to be a team leader. I look forward to coaching Skylar another year and can’t wait to get back to work.”
Wallace’s stellar season also resulted her in being a USA Softball Player of the Year Top 3 finalist and a unanimous NFCA All-American First Team selection.
The redshirt-junior also became the seventh Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in program history. Along the way, Wallace added three SEC Player of the Week awards to her accolade list and became the first Florida player to achieve the feat since Kelsey Bruder in 2011.
Wallace ended her 2023 season as the only player in the nation with 65 or more hits, 70 or more runs, 55 or more RBI, 50 or more walks and 30 or more stolen bases.
The Woodstock, Ga. native had one of the best individual seasons in Florida history as she set new single-season school records in batting average (.447), slugging percentage (.980) and on base percentage (.595). She also finished ranked inside the top 10 in stolen base percentage (.968 – 2nd), runs scored (72 – 5th), triples (8 – 3rd), home runs (19 – 5th) and walks (51 – 6th). She also reached base safely in 55 of the 56 games played this season.
The Player of the Year award was created to honor the outstanding athletic achievements among softball student-athletes. In 2019, the Association expanded the award to include a Player and Pitcher of the Year.
The awards are voted on by the selected members of the NFCA Division I All-American Committee with one head coach representing each of the NFCA’s 10 regions. To be eligible, a student-athlete’s head coach must be a member.
Skylar Wallace<https://floridagators.com/sports/softball/roster/skylar-wallace/15657> | Redshirt-Junior | Shortstop | Woodstock, Ga.
* TUCCI/NFCA Division I Player of the Year
* USA Softball Player of the Year Top 3 Finalist
* Unanimous NFCA All-American First Team (SS)
* NFCA ALL-Southeast Region First Team (SS)
* SEC Player of the Year
* ALL-SEC First Team
* SEC Player of the Week (3X)
* D1Softball.com Player of the Week (2X)
* Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player of the Week (1X)
* Reached base safely in 55 of the 56 games played this season.
NCAA & SEC Rankings
Statistic
National Rank
Conference Rank
Value
Batting Average
9
1
0.447
Hits
61
8
67
Home Runs
7
3
19
Home Runs Per Game
15
4
0.34
On Base Percentage
2
2
0.595
RBIs
28
6
55
Runs Batted In Per Game
32
6
0.98
Runs per Game
3
2
1.29
Slugging Percentage
1
1
0.98
Stolen Bases
25
2
30
Stolen Bases Per Game
27
2
0.54
Total Bases
5
2
147
Triples
2
1
8
Triples Per Game
5
1
0.14
Walks Per Game
4
2
0.91
TUCCI/NFCA Division I Player of the Year Winners
* 2023 – Skylar Wallace – Florida – Shortstop
* 2022 – Jocelyn Alo – Oklahoma – Designated Player
* 2021 – Rachel Garcia – UCLA – Utility/Pitcher
* 2020 – Award Not Presented
* 2019 – Abbey Cheek – Kentucky – Third Base
* 2018 – Rachel Garcia – UCLA – Pitcher
* 2017 – Megan Good – James Madison – Pitcher
* 2016 – Sierra Romero – Michigan – Second Base
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