LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Haverford College senior catcher/third baseman Abby Marquis has been named to the 2023 Tucci/NFCA Division III Player of the Year Watchlist, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced on Thursday afternoon.
Marquis has certainly proved to be among the best players in Region V this season, as the Albuquerque, N.M. product is second in the region in RBIs (32), total bases (69), triples (5), and slugging percentage (.831) while checking in fifth in the region in hits (33) and tied for third in the for homers (6). She leads the Centennial Conference in triples, home runs, RBIs, total bases, extra base hits (19) and slugging percentage while splitting time between anchoring a young pitching staff behind the plate, and proving to the infield at the hot corner.
Softball (14-11-1) got out to a hot 12-2 start, largely behind a stellar turn from an offense that was kickstarted by Marquis. The chemistry major was named Centennial Conference Player of the Week on March 21 after hitting .643 (9-for-14) with two doubles, two triples, five home runs, 15 RBIs and nine runs scored in a 4-0 week for the Fords. That effort included a program-best three homers in the first game of a doubleheader at Cabrini as part of a four-homer day.
A total of 140 student-athletes from around the country were revealed Thursday as members of the 2023 Tucci/NFCA Division III Player and Pitcher of the Year watchlists.
New for 2023, the list is broken down into regions, with student-athletes representing one of the 10 NCAA regions. This list is compiled by the elected members of the NFCA Division III All-America Committee, who will also vote to choose the Player and Pitcher of the Year honorees at the conclusion of the season. Voted on by the NFCA's Division III All-America Committee, the 2023 Tucci/NFCA Player and Pitcher of the Year will be announced on June 9. All student-athletes are eligible for the end-of-the-season award and do not have to be on this list to be considered by the committee.
The Player of the Year award was created in 2016 to honor the outstanding softball achievement in NCAA Division III. In 2019, the Association expanded the award to include separate Player and Pitcher of the Year honors.