LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Sophomore pitcher Madelayne Ruffner (Charles Town, W.Va./Washington) of the Shepherd University softball team has been named to the 2025 NFCA DII Player and Pitcher of the Year Watchlist. She was recently named Division II Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week.

Ruffner has posted a 7-0 mark with a 0.72 ERA this season. She has fanned 97 and walked only 11 in 52.2 innings. Ruffner tops NCAA II in hits allowed per seven innings (3.05), strikeouts per seven innings (13.8), and WHIP (0.64).

Voted on by the NFCA's Division II All-American Committee, the 2025 NFCA Player and Pitcher of the Year winners will be announced on May 30 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.