Rauch Named Top 25 Finalist for NFCA Freshman of the Year

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Louisville, Ky. – The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) has today announced its 25 candidates for Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year and Fordham softball standout Paige Rauch made the cut, the program's second-ever and first since Jessica Hughes in 2016 since the award was created in 2014. Last year's winner was UCLA's Rachel Garcia, who the Rams saw in this year's season opener.
 
Rauch has been consistently excellent all season long for the Rams, slashing .317/.461/.725 at the plate and pitching to a sterling 11-1 record and 1.36 ERA over 82.1 frames, the former two either leading or tied for the team lead. She leads the offense with 12 home runs, 31 walks, 44 runs, and five triples. She has earned three Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors, including these last two weeks.
 
In conference action, Rauch's numbers are even more impressive: a .310/.420/.905 slash line with a team-high seven home runs, 16 runs scored, and 15 runs batted in. In the circle, she's been nearly perfect, limiting opponents to just five runs, three earned, over 30.2 innings, which works to a 5-0 record and a 0.68 ERA.
 
Since the start of the Fordham Tournament, the Rams have gone 18-3 over the last month. Rauch has been at the fore of that extended run, slashing .349/.500/.810 with 28 runs scored, 21 runs batted in, seven home runs, and 17 walks, while holding a 0.84 ERA and 6-0 record over 41.2 innings.
 
The Windsor, N.Y.'s five triples are already joint-seventh-most in a single season and she is one walk away from entering the top-10. If the season ended today, Rauch would be joint-third in slugging percentage, ninth in on-base percentage, and fourth in ERA.
 
The list of 25 will be narrowed down to 10 on May 10 and to three on May 23. The winner will be presented prior to the start of the 2018 NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City on May 29.
 
The Rams are back in action this weekend at Saint Louis for a three-game series, the team's last conference road contests of the regular season. Both Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's series finale will begin at 1 p.m. EST.
 
NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25
Hannah Adams, 2B, Florida
Jocelyn Alo, DP/OF, Oklahoma
Patricia Awald, 1B, Kennesaw State
Meghan Beaubien, P, Michigan
Payton Buresch, P, James Madison
Georgina Corrick, P, USF
Sophie Dandola, P, Hofstra
Mia Davidson, C, Mississippi State
Danielle Gibson, 1B, Arizona State
Mary Haff, P, Arkansas
Naomi Hernandez, OF, Long Beach State
Mary Iakopo, C/DP, Oregon
Janae Jefferson, 2B, Texas
Aaliyah Jordan, OF, UCLA
Rachel Lewis, 2B, Northwestern
Kelsey Oh, P, South Carolina
Briana Perez, SS, UCLA
Gabbie Plain, P, Washington
Katie Prebble, 1B, Gardner-Webb
Paige Rauch, 2B/P, Fordham
Alison Seng, 1B/DP, Boise State
Sydney Sherrill, 2B, Florida State
Kaylee Tow, OF, Alabama
Sadie Wise, OF, Saint Louis
Brooke Yanez, P, UC Davis