Fresno State Athletics
Photo by: Samuel Marshall
Hailey Dolcini named to Final 25 for USA Softball Player of the Year
4/26/2021 8:59:00 AM | Softball
FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno State senior right-handed pitcher Hailey Dolcini has been selected as a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 25 Finalist.
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 players across the country. Dolcini is the first Bulldog to be named a finalist since Jamie Southern in 2005.Â
Dolcini has been the Bulldogs' ace this season. She has chalked a 17-3 record this season while remaining a perfect 9-0 in Mountain West Play.
Her conference-high 17 wins include 10 shutouts and two perfect games. The Ferndale, Calif. native recorded the 16th and 17th perfect games in program history this season. Dolcini tied the program record for most strikeouts in a seven inning game with 18 in the 6-0 victory over New Mexico on April 2. The senior has recorded nine games with 10+ strikeouts this season.
Dolcini has earned a conference-high five MW Pitcher of the Week honors this season, winning five out of the nine awards given in 2021. She is in a class of her own topping the conference in ERA (0.87), opposing batting average (.165), innings pitched (129.1), strikeouts (201) and wins (17).
The Bulldogs are on a roll, winning 28 out of their last 30 games. Fresno State has won its first five series of conference play, notching a 14-1 record against MW foes and currently sit atop the MW standings.
The Finalists include three graduate students, 10 seniors, nine juniors, one sophomore and two freshmen representing 20 NCAA Division I universities and seven athletic conferences. Among the universities, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, UCLA and Washington are represented by two student-athletes while Fresno State, Arizona, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan, Northern Iowa, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, and Virginia Tech have one student-athlete on the list.
The list of 25 Finalists will be narrowed to 10 Finalists on May 5 before the Top 3 Finalists will be announced on May 19. The 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed prior to the 2021 NCAA Women's College World Series (WCWS), which is set to take place June 3-9 at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex.
Previous recipients of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award are Stacey Nuveman (UCLA, 2002), Cat Osterman (Texas, 2003, 2005 and 2006), Jessica Van der Linden (Florida State, 2004), Monica Abbott (Tennessee, 2007), Angela Tincher (Virginia Tech, 2008), Danielle Lawrie (Washington, 2009 and 2010), Ashley Hansen (Stanford, 2011), Keilani Ricketts (Oklahoma, 2012 and 2013), Lacey Waldrop (Florida State, 2014), Lauren Haeger (Florida, 2015), Sierra Romero (Michigan, 2016), Kelly Barnhill (Florida, 2017) and Rachel Garcia (UCLA, 2018 and 2019). A 2020 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award was not given out due to the COVID-19 pandemic and season cancellation.
"Fresno State Athletics: The Pride of the Valley" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in life. To become a BDF member, please visit bulldogfoundation.org.Â
Follow us on:
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateSB
Instagram:Â FresnoStateSoftball
Facebook:Â FresnoStateSoftball
Â
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 players across the country. Dolcini is the first Bulldog to be named a finalist since Jamie Southern in 2005.Â
Dolcini has been the Bulldogs' ace this season. She has chalked a 17-3 record this season while remaining a perfect 9-0 in Mountain West Play.
Her conference-high 17 wins include 10 shutouts and two perfect games. The Ferndale, Calif. native recorded the 16th and 17th perfect games in program history this season. Dolcini tied the program record for most strikeouts in a seven inning game with 18 in the 6-0 victory over New Mexico on April 2. The senior has recorded nine games with 10+ strikeouts this season.
Dolcini has earned a conference-high five MW Pitcher of the Week honors this season, winning five out of the nine awards given in 2021. She is in a class of her own topping the conference in ERA (0.87), opposing batting average (.165), innings pitched (129.1), strikeouts (201) and wins (17).
The Bulldogs are on a roll, winning 28 out of their last 30 games. Fresno State has won its first five series of conference play, notching a 14-1 record against MW foes and currently sit atop the MW standings.
The Finalists include three graduate students, 10 seniors, nine juniors, one sophomore and two freshmen representing 20 NCAA Division I universities and seven athletic conferences. Among the universities, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, UCLA and Washington are represented by two student-athletes while Fresno State, Arizona, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan, Northern Iowa, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, and Virginia Tech have one student-athlete on the list.
The list of 25 Finalists will be narrowed to 10 Finalists on May 5 before the Top 3 Finalists will be announced on May 19. The 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed prior to the 2021 NCAA Women's College World Series (WCWS), which is set to take place June 3-9 at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex.
Previous recipients of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award are Stacey Nuveman (UCLA, 2002), Cat Osterman (Texas, 2003, 2005 and 2006), Jessica Van der Linden (Florida State, 2004), Monica Abbott (Tennessee, 2007), Angela Tincher (Virginia Tech, 2008), Danielle Lawrie (Washington, 2009 and 2010), Ashley Hansen (Stanford, 2011), Keilani Ricketts (Oklahoma, 2012 and 2013), Lacey Waldrop (Florida State, 2014), Lauren Haeger (Florida, 2015), Sierra Romero (Michigan, 2016), Kelly Barnhill (Florida, 2017) and Rachel Garcia (UCLA, 2018 and 2019). A 2020 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award was not given out due to the COVID-19 pandemic and season cancellation.
"Fresno State Athletics: The Pride of the Valley" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in life. To become a BDF member, please visit bulldogfoundation.org.Â
Follow us on:
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateSB
Instagram:Â FresnoStateSoftball
Facebook:Â FresnoStateSoftball
Â
Players Mentioned
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