LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ninety-eight student-athletes from across the country have been named to the 2024 Tucci/NFCA Division III Pitcher and Player of the Year watchlist the organization announced on Thursday. Four members of the Trine University softball team made the list including senior Alexis Michon, sophomores Debbie Hill and Macy Rocha, and freshman Tyra Marcum.
The list is separated into the 10 NCAA regions, with up to 15 student-athletes per region. The list is compiled by the elected members of the NFCA Division III All-America Committee with one head coach representing each of the 10 NCAA regions.
Hill presumably features as a candidate for both player and pitcher of the year. Last season she was named the Tucci/NFCA Division III Freshman of the Year and earned first-team All-American honors. The sophomore has picked up right where she left off from her initial campaign continuing to be a terror both in the circle and at the plate. She is currently top-ten in the country in saves (3) and WHIP (0.93) while also sitting top-50 in ERA (0.77), hits allowed per seven innings (3.55), strikeout to walk ratio (9.17) and strikeouts per seven innings (8.50). Offensively she leads the team in homeruns (5) which is top-25 in the nation and is second on the team with a .793 slugging percentage.
Michon has established herself as one of the best pitchers in the country this season. The 2022 winner of the pitcher of the year award, is currently leading the Thunder with eight wins from the circle. She sits top-ten in the country in hits allowed per game (3.36), shutouts (5), strikeout to walk ratio (18.50), strikeouts per seven innings (10.4) and WHIP (0.56).
Marcum has already made her presence known as a member of the Thunder lineup. She leads the team in batting average (.521), on-base percentage (.623), slugging percentage (.833) and with 26 RBIs. She is top-50 in the nation in all four of those categories with her best ranking coming in on-base percentage where she is ninth.
Rocha rounds out the Trine student-athletes on the list. She has become a fixture in the lineup and at second base. She is currently second among starters on the team with a .429 batting average, fourth in on-base percentage (.486) and fifth in slugging percentage (.556). Defensively she is currently second on the team with 54 putouts and third with 10 assists.
Voted on by the NFCA's Division III All-American Committee, the 2024 Tucci/NFCA Player and Pitcher of the Year winners will be announced on June 7 following the conclusion of the NCAA Division III Finals. All student-athletes are eligible for the end-of-the-season awards and do not have to be on this list to be considered.
The Thunder are set to enter Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) competition when they next take the diamond. They are scheduled to travel to Kalamazoo College on Saturday, April 6 for their next doubleheader with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
