University of Tennessee Athletics
Geer Named to USA Softball Top 50
February 02, 2017 | Softball
USA Softball Top 50 "Watch List"
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Tennessee senior outfielder Megan Geer has been named to the 2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 "Watch List". Now in its 16th year, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, given by the National Governing Body for softball in the United States, recognizes outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female collegiate softball players across the country.
This marks the 14th consecutive year that UT has had at least one player named to the preseason "Watch List" (2004-17). The Vols have had 30 players selected to the Top 50 "Watch List" overall since its creation. Tennessee boasts 20 top 25 finalists, 12 top 10 finalists and four top 3 finalists. Monica Abbott is the only Tennessee player to ever win the award, doing so back in 2007.
This is the first time Geer has ever made a USA Softball Player of the Year list of any kind. The California native was recently named to the Preseason All-SEC team and earned NFCA All-Southeast Region third-team honors last year. Geer set career highs in batting average (.368), runs (61), hits (60), RBIs (55), walks (39), stolen bases (25), on-base percentage (.493) and slugging percentage (.638) in 2016 and also hit 11 home runs to move into sixth on the program's all-time list with 31 for her career.
This year's preseason "Watch List" includes 26 seniors, 18 juniors and 6 sophomores, with freshman ineligible for consideration. Athletes from 37 NCAA Division I universities and 13 athletic conferences were named to the "Watch List". The SEC led the way with players from 12 schools represented while nine universities from the Pac-12 also had players make the list. The entire list can be seen HERE.
The top 25 finalists for the 2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be announced on April 12. The top 10 finalists will be announced May 10 and the top 3 will be announced May 24. The 2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed May 30 prior to the start of the Women's College World Series.
