OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Thirty of the top NCAA^® softball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as candidates today for the 2020 Senior CLASS Award^® in collegiate softball and three Southern Conference players were honored. 

ETSU infielder Julia Fritz and Bucs' outfielder Kelly Warren and Mercer infielder Danielle Castleberry are three of 30 candidates.  
 
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
 
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ^®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. 
 
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
 
The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2021 Women’s College World Series^®.
 

2021 Senior CLASS Award Softball Candidates:

Sis Bates, Washington                                Karlee Johnson, Boise State

AnaMarie Bruni, South Florida                   Cayla Kessinger, Missouri

Danielle Castleberry, Mercer                   Jennifer Leonhardt, Louisville

Teaghan Cowles, Stanford                          Kendyl Lindaman, Florida

Mia Davidson, Mississippi State                  Goose McGlaun, Baylor

Amber Fiser, Minnesota                              Maddie McMahon, Siena

Sydney Fisher, Radford                              Liz Murphy, Detroit Mercy

Julia Fritz, East Tennessee State                Bubba Nickles, UCLA

Darian Frost, Missouri State                       Makenna Partain, Minnesota

Rachel Garcia, UCLA                                  Kendall Smith, Western Kentucky              

Kristin Hallam, Hofstra                                Nicole Timmons, Drake

Jessie Harper, Arizona                                Kelly Warren, East Tennessee State      

Alexis Holloway, Notre Dame                     Kayla Wedl, Illinois at Chicago (UIC)

Andrea Howard, New Mexico                      Alea White, Central Florida

Kristina Inouye, Stanford                             Sami Williams, Iowa State