LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Freshman pitcher Madelayne Ruffner (Charles Town, W.Va./Washington) of the Shepherd University softball team has been named to the 2024 Tucci/NFCA Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year watchlist.

Ruffner, a two-time PSAC East Pitcher of the honoree this year, has a 10-1 record with an 0.88 ERA. She has nine complete games and a pair of shutouts. Ruffner has struck out 135 in 82.0 innings. She is currently ranked second nationally in strikeouts per seven innings with an 11.5 mark.

The list is broken down into the eight NCAA Regions (Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast, and West) with up to 15 student-athletes represented in each region. The list is compiled by the elected members of the NFCA Division II All-American Committee with one head coach representing each of the eight NCAA regions. To be eligible, a student-athlete's head coach must be a member.

Voted on by the NFCA's Division II All-American Committee, the 2024 Tucci/NFCA Player and Pitcher of the Year winners will be announced on May 27 following the conclusion of the NCAA Division II National Championships. All student-athletes are eligible for the end-of-the-season award and do not have to be on this list to be considered.

The Player of the Year award was created in 2015 to honor the outstanding athletic achievements among softball student-athletes throughout NCAA Division II. In 2019, the Association expanded the award to include a Player and Pitcher of the Year.