NFCA Division II Top 25 Player of the Year List
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Twenty-five student-athletes have been selected finalists for the 2017 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player of the Year award. The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) is represented by reigining 2016 recipient Lyndsay Butler of Wayne State and Hillsdale senior Bekah Kastning.
This group of student-athletes is represented by 23 different programs and 18 conferences. Sixteen from the original Top-50 "Watchlist" made the cut with the final group consisting of 10 seniors, 11 juniors, two sophomores, one freshman and one graduate student.
Currently, Butler is batting .469 (76-162) with 20 extra-base hits, a team-leading 35 RBI and 48 runs scored in 46 games along with a .511 on-base percentage. In terms of pitching, Butler has a 19-8 record with three saves in 31 appearances with 11 solo shutouts. She has 190 strikeouts in 178.2 innings and has allowed just 23 extra-base hits. In fact, Butler has more triples (4 to 3) and home runs (7 to 2) than she has allowed in 2017.
Although she's had a tremendous first three seasons with Hillsdale, Kastning has taken her game to another level in 2017. She set the school's single-season record for hits, notching her 77th in last Sunday's win over Ohio Dominican. She's batting .478 with five triples, 15 doubles and two home runs.
She currently ranks in the GLIAC's top five in nine different offensive categories, and amazingly, has only been struck out once in conference play all year. Kastning also has a 1.000 fielding percentage from center field, which does not illustrate the superior speed and instincts she routinely shows at her position.
Top-ranked Angelo State University and No. 3 University of North Georgia had two selections each. The Great Lakes Valley Conference topped the list with four honorees. The Lone Star Conference led the way with three student-athletes, while the Great Lake Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Great Lakes Valley Conference, Peach Belt Conference, California Collegiate Athletic Association and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference garnered two nods apiece.
The Top 10 finalists will be announced on May 11 and the Top 3 on May 17 with the 2017 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player of the Year revealed on Tuesday, May 24 prior to the start of the 2017 NCAA Division II National Championships.
