University of North Georgia softball players Amber Johns and Kylee Smith were named finalists for the 2018 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player of the Year award as announced by the association Monday afternoon.
Smith, a sophomore from Suwanee, Georgia, was a top 25 member last year on her way to becoming a finalist for the NFCA's Freshman of the Year. She was named to the Watch List prior to the start of the season and was one of just 10 members of the 50-player watch list to be in the running for the award. Smith is 26-1 with two saves on the year. She leads the nation in strikeouts with 245.
Johns, a sophomore from Powder Springs, Georgia, is making her first appearance on the national list in her career. This season, she is 16-0 with 102 punchouts. Johns has given up just 13 runs across 95.2 innings of work inside the circle.
The Top 10 finalists will be announced on May 15 with the 2018 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player of the Year revealed on June 4.
The award was created in 2015 to honor the outstanding athletic achievement among softball student-athletes throughout Division II. UNG's Courtney Poole was the inaugural winner of the award.
