LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The top-ranked Salisbury University softball team was well represented on the 2023 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) 2023 Tucci Division III Player and Pitcher of the Year to Watch List, which was announced on Thursday.

Salisbury had four players announced to the national watch list, which was the most in Region V. Seniors Abby Mace, Natalie Paoli, Maddison Lednum and Lindsey Windsor all were named the Player of the Year Watch List.

Mace, a two-time first-team All-American and two-time Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Player of the Year, has continued to excel for the Sea Gulls as one of the top hitters in the country. After a slow start to the season, Mace leads the C2C in on-base percentage (.533), walks (21) and runs scored (26). She is also in the top five in batting average (.391), RBIs (23), homers (4), stolen bases (13), slugging percentage (.725) and total bases (53).

After she picked up her first All-American award in 2022, Paoli is honored on the Player of the Year Watch List as one of the best all-around shortstops in the country. Paoli has knocked seven doubles this season, which is second on the team and in the C2C. She is also seventh in the conference with 19 RBIs. So far this season, Paoli hit .321 with two home runs, 17 runs scored with a slugging percentage of .481 and an on-base percentage of .368.

Lednum has established herself as one of the top middle of the order hitters and third baseman in Division III. Lednum sits third in the C2C in RBIs (23) and hits (32) and in a tie for fifth in the league with three home runs. Lednum has slashed .376/.419/.588 so far this season and has also collected five doubles and two triples in 28 games for the Sea Gulls.

Windsor, who also earned her first All-American award in 2022 and received her second C2C Pitcher of the Year award last season, has been a force in the circle and at the plate for the No. 1 team in the country. Pitching, Windsor sits 20th in the nation with a 0.90 ERA and is tied for 40th with eight wins. In 19 appearances in the circle, she has struck out 64 batters with a WHIP of .91 and an opponent batting average of .194. She has also pitched five complete games with three shutouts and earned two saves.

At the plate, Windsor leads the C2C with 28 runs batted in, which is good for 26th in the nation. She also is in the second spot in the conference with 26 runs scored and 33 hits, third with nine stolen bases and fifth in the C2C with a .393 batting average. She has hit two home runs with five doubles and a triple. Windsor reaches base at a .433 clip with a slugging percentage of .548.

The Player of the Year award was established in 2016 to honor the season's top performer in NCAA Division III, and was expanded in 2019 to include both a Player and Pitcher of the Year honoree.

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.

After a week off, the Sea Gulls will be back on the field on Wednesday, April 12 against the Stevenson Mustangs. The doubleheader is set to begin at 3 p.m. in Owings Mills, Md.

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Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, and dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on-and-off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 22 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 188 conference championships and 44 Academic All-Americans.
 
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.