McMichael Named Top 25 Finalist For Collegiate Player Of The Year
May 25, 2016 | Softball
Recognition Marks Second Straight Year McMichael Has Made List
| Senior all-American outfielder Iyhia McMichael is one of 25 finalists for the 2004 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award. |
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- The Amateur Softball Association, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, and USA Softball announced Mississippi State senior all-American outfielder Iyhia McMichael as one of 25 finalists for the 2004 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award Wednesday afternoon.
The award, which is considered the Heisman Trophy in women's collegiate softball and is the only national player of the year award, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country. The final list is comprised of 25 players that represent 18 colleges and six different Conferences.
The list will be reduced to ten players on April 28 and three finalists will be announced May 11. The winner of the 2004 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award will be announced May 26 at the opening ceremonies of the NCAA College World Series in Oklahoma City, OK. The winner will be recognized and presented with the Player of the Year trophy during the ASA National Council Meeting in Mobile, Ala., in November.
A replica of the award will be placed in a permanent display in the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, along with photos of the winner. An additional replica of the award will be presented to the player's academic institution.
McMichael joined four other Southeastern Conference players on the list, which also included Tennessee's Monica Abbott, Georgia's Nicole Barber and Kim Wendland and LSU's Kristin Schmidt. One of just four SEC players on the top 25 list last season, McMichael was the only player from the league to appear in the top 10 list in 2004. Florida's Jenny Gladding qualified for this season's initial top 25 list, but was removed after suffering a season-ending injury last weekend against Georgia.
"Iyhia has come out and shown people the type of ball player that she is by putting up better numbers than she did last year," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "We have asked her to do some different things this year by switching her over to the leadoff spot. She has really helped our ball club offensively. I think it has also given her the chance to do some more things and show her versatility."
"Obviously, she is one that we are going to greatly miss. She is definitely somebody that you can't replace * that type of athlete and that type of ball player. We're looking forward to Iyhia finishing out her senior year very strong."
Hitting a career-best .457 after a 1-for-2 showing with a pair of walks against Southern Miss Tuesday evening in Ridgeland, McMichael currently ranks third in the league in hitting. She has been named to a pair of all-tournament teams this season, including a Tournament MVP showing at the MSU-hosted Bulldog Classic in February. A day removed from the Bulldog Classic, she collected a trio of conference and national awards, including SEC Player of the Week, as well as NFCA and USA Softball Player of the Week.
McMichael is hitting .494 for the Bulldogs at the leadoff position this year, included in which is 18 extra-base hits and 22 RBI. Over her last 13 outings, the Nacogdoches, Texas, has hit a cool .543 (19-for-35) with three home runs, five RBI and 17 runs scored. A career .371 (263-for-709) hitter, she is on pace to break at least a dozen school career records before the end of the 2004 regular season on May 8 against Georgia Tech in Starkville.
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation's largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 91 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit www.asasoftball.com.
McMichael and the rest of her Mississippi State teammates will return to action this weekend when the Bulldogs come home to take on SEC West rival and No. 11 Alabama in a three-game series at the Mississippi State Softball Field. The two squads will renew their rivalry with a 5 p.m. Friday doubleheader and close out the set on Saturday with a single game slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch. Admission to all 2004 MSU Softball home games is free of charge.
