Patton, Williams earn nod for USA softball honors

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - DePaul's Amber Patton and Northwestern's Tammy Williams are among the 10 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award, it was announced Wednesday by the Amateur Softball Association of America.

The award, which is considered the most prestigious honors in Division I women's collegiate softball, recognizes outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country.

Patton a senior from Forsyth, Ill., currently leads the nation with a .522 average. The All-American has been ranked in the top-15 for batting average since March 22, and took over top spot on April 19. She currently ranks sixth in the country with a .569 on base percentage, and she is the 18th toughest player to strikeout.

Williams currently ranks in the top-18 in the nation in six different offensive categories. She has 0.36 home runs per game (7th), 1.12 runs per game (8th), an .871 slugging percentage (8th), a .455 batting average (11th), 15 total home runs (15th) and a .532 on-base percentage (18th). For her career, Williams has scored 234 runs in 228 games, making her only the sixth player in NCAA Division I history to score more runs than game played.

The Top 10 list represents 10 schools and five different NCAA Division I Conferences. The three finalists will be announced May 20, and the winner will be announced prior to the start of the 2009 NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.