OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Drake University softball redshirt junior pitcher Nicole Newman (Madison, Wis.) is one of the Top 25 Finalists for the 2018 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, USA Softball, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, announced Wednesday, April 25. The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, which is considered the most prestigious honor in Division I women's collegiate softball, recognizes the outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female student-athletes across the country.

Newman, who earlier this week was named Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week for the 12^th time in her outstanding career, owns an impressive 16-2 record with the nation's lowest earned run average of 0.44. She has yet to allow a run scored by an MVC opponent, tossed two no-hitters against Valley opponents, holds a 9-0 record against league opponents and has 109 strikeouts with just eight walks in MVC play. Overall this season, Newman has 185 strikeouts with just 18 walks and allowed only seven earned runs.
 
Newman, who missed nearly all of the 2017 season due to injury, was the 2016 MVC Pitcher of the Year. She was named the MVC Freshman of the Year in 2015, is a two-time All-MVC First honoree and a two-time NFCA All-Midwest Region Second Team selection. Newman with 740 strikeouts is just 21 strikeouts away from new school record. She has 58 career victories, a mark that ranks No. 3 all-time in school history. In her career, Newman has recorded 10 or more strikeouts in a game 25 times, including a career-high 18 in her second no-hitter of the season against Valparaiso.
  
Previous recipients of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award 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), Michigan's Sierra Romero (2016) and Kelly Barnhill (2017).
 
Comprising this year's list of finalists includes nine seniors, nine juniors, four sophomores and three freshmen. The student-athletes selected represent 17 NCAA Division I universities and eight athletic conferences. Reigning NCAA Women's College World Series (WCWS) Champion Oklahoma is the most represented university among the finalists, having three athletes making the list while Florida, Georgia, Oregon, Tennessee, UCLA and Washington are each represented by two athletes. Arizona State, Auburn, Baylor, Drake, Florida State, Kent State, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Texas State each have one athlete in the Top 25 Finalists.