Emory University senior pitcher Brittany File (Carmel, CA) is one of 50 softball players who have been chosen for the 2017 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Player of the Year Watch List.
File is one of six 2016 First Team All-Americans to be included on the list. All totaled, 22 returning All-Americans from a year have been recognized with the honor.
So far this season, File has posted a 6-2 won-lost ledger in the circle, tossing 63 1/3 innings and striking out 79 batters. She has fanned 10 or more on two occasions, including a season-high 14 while crafting a no-hitter vs. Averett University on Feb. 12. She ranks 36th in the D-III ranks in strikeouts per seven innings (8.7).
As a junior, she finished with a 36-6 record, with her victory total leading all D-III hurlers and establishing a school seasonal record. Named the University Athletic Association's Player of the Year, she threw a program record 234 2/3 innings and struck out 343 batters, a school record and the second-highest total nationally during the season.
The Watch List is a collaborative effort between the NFCA Division III Head Coaches and All-America committees. The list will subsequently be cut to 25 and 10, before the winner is chosen.
The list will be adjusted to assure the best players during the season are considered, with the eventual winner coming from the group of 25.
To view the full list, please click HERE.