Yanni Acuña and Cydney Sanders Named to USA Softball Top 25 Finalist List
OKLAHOMA CITY - As the 2022 NCAA Division I Softball season is rounding out the next few weeks, USA Softball has announced the list of the Top 25 Finalists of the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Considered the most distinguished individual honor in Division I college softball, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award recognizes outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female collegiate softball players from across the country.
Senior outfielder Yannira Acuña and freshman first baseman Cydney Sanders have been named to the Top 25 Finalists List. The two representatives from Arizona State join UCLA as the only other program with two finalists in the Top 25 behind Oklahoma's four athletes.
"What a great honor for our program and honor for Cyd and Yanni. Their body of work is among some of the best in our sport," head coach Trisha Ford said. "I'm excited to see what the rest of this season holds."
Acuña leads the stacked Pac-12 in batting average and runs scored (44) while her .462 batting average is also good for No. 7 in the nation. She also has the top on base percentage (.602) in the Pac-12, good for No. 5 in the country. The Tucson native has a Pac-12 Player of the Week award to add to her resume as well. Finally, Acuña has been named a top three outfielder in the country by D1 Softball.
Cydney Sanders has started her freshman campaign strongly with the third best batting average (.442) in the Pac-12. With a .571 on base percentage, Sanders is No. 2 in the Pac-12 and No. 11 nationally in this category, as a true freshman. The San Marcos, California native is second in the Pac-12 in RBIs (47), which also leads the team. She also leads the team with 14 home runs, helping the Sun Devils to fourth in the country in home runs per game. Sanders patience at the plate also makes her a dynamic threat, she leads the Pac-12 in walks drawn with 28. The true freshman has also been named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week twice this season so far, as well as being named the Freshman of the Week twice by D1 Softball.
The Top 25 Finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be narrowed to 10 Finalists - released May 4 - before the Top 3 Finalists are revealed May 18. The 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be announced prior to the NCAA Women's College World Series, which is slated for June 2-10 in Oklahoma City.
Acuña and Sanders will head to Palo Alto this weekend, Friday, April 22 - Sunday, April 24. Fans can watch all three games on Stanford Live Stream via Pac-12.com.
Top 10 Finalists: Announced May 4
Top 3 Finalists: Announced May 18
The 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award winner will be announced prior to the NCAA Women's College World Series.