Aleah Craighton Lands on Player of the Year Watch List

LAFAYETTE – Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball's Aleah Craighton, an All-American performer in 2016, is among the 50 student-athletes named to the "Watch List" for the 2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award.

Announced Wednesday by USA Softball, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award enters its 16th season and recognizes outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female collegiate softball players across the country.

The Top 25 Finalists for the award will be announced April 12. The Top 10 Finalists will be announced May 10 and the Top 3 announced May 24. The 2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year winner will be revealed May 30.

Click here for the 2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year "Watch List"

Craighton, who last week was named the Sun Belt Conference's Preseason Player of the Year, was named to the watch list for the first time in her career.

"Aleah is very worthy, and deserving of this distinction, not only because of her success at the plate but also for her work ethic and her competitiveness," Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball head coach Michael Lotief said. "And because of her mindset and her willingness to wake up and pursue excellence every day."

Craighton received second team NFCA All-America honors last season after setting personal bests in doubles (12), home runs (18), RBI (56), extra base hits (32) and slugging percentage (.851). She ranked Top 10 nationally in slugging, Top 20 in home runs, Top 40 in runs per game and Top 50 in RBI per game.

In Sun Belt Conference games in 2016, she led the league in slugging percentage (1.069), on base percentage (.593), runs (33) and home runs (11). She capped the year by going 6-for-9 with nine RBI in the Sun Belt Tournament to earn the Most Outstanding Player accolade.

The junior slugger tallied 20-plus extra base hits the first two years of her career. Of her 109 career base hits, over 50 percent (58) have produced extra bases.

The pre-season "Watch List" includes 26 seniors, 18 juniors and 6 sophomores, with freshman ineligible for consideration. Athletes named to the "Watch List" represent 37 NCAA Division I universities and 13 athletic conferences.

Previous recipients of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, the most prestigious individual honor in NCAA Division I Softball, are UCLA catcher Stacey Nuveman (2002), Texas pitcher Cat Osterman (2003, 2005 and 2006), Florida State pitcher Jessica Van der Linden (2004), Tennessee pitcher Monica Abbott (2007), Virginia Tech pitcher Angela Tincher (2008), Washington pitcher Danielle Lawrie (2009 and 2010), Stanford shortstop Ashley Hansen (2011), Oklahoma's Keilani Ricketts (2012 and 2013), Florida State's Lacey Waldrop (2014), Florida's Lauren Haeger (2015) and Michigan's Sierra Romero (2016).

The 11th-ranked Ragin' Cajuns open the 2017 season on Friday, Feb. 10 at 3 p.m. vs. DePaul in the 31st Annual Louisiana Classics at Lamson Park. It will mark the beginning of a season-opening 23-game homestand at Lamson Park that runs through March 7 and includes three tournaments, a Top 25 weekend series against No. 7 Alabama (Feb. 17-19) and a midweek doubleheader with No. 21 Baylor (March 7).

Season tickets remain on sale and can be purchased via phone at (337) 265-2357, online at RaginCajuns.com using Account Manager or by visiting the Cajundome Box Office in-person Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

For more information on Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball, as well as all of Ragin' Cajuns Athletics, visit RaginCajuns.com. Fans can also follow along with the team on Facebook (/RaginCajunSoftball),Twitter (@RaginCajunsSB) and Instagram (@RaginCajunsSoftball).

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Aleah Craighton Lands on Player of the Year Watch List

Players Mentioned

Aleah Craighton

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