University of North Carolina Athletics
Pickett One Of Top-10 National Freshmen Of The Year
May 11, 2017 | Softball
Louisville, Ky. – North Carolina pitcher Brittany Pickett has been selected as a top-10 Finalist for 2017 Scuhtt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year, as chosen by members of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). Now in its fourth season, the NFCA created the award in 2014 to honor outstanding athletic achievement among freshmen competing in Division I softball.
Pickett was the second Tar Heel to be named as a top-25 finalist, following teammate Taylor Wike's 2015 nod, and the first-ever to make the top-10 cut. The list will be narrowed down to three final candidates on Wednesday, May 24. The Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year trophy will be presented during a live ceremony on May 30 prior to the start of the 2017 NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
Pickett became the first Tar Heel since 2003 to earn ACC Freshman of the Year honors earlier today, as well as garnering All-ACC First Team honors and a place on the inaugural ACC All-Freshman Team. A two-time ACC Pitcher of the Week, Pickett has had a breakout season in the circle and at the plate. The hard-throwing leftie leads the ACC with 44 pitching appearances, ranking in the top 10 in the conference in 13 pitching categories, including fifth in ERA (2.51), wins (20) and strikeouts (128).
“Brittany's been a big key to our success,” said Papa. “Certainly, you're a team, softball is a team sport, but her performances on the mound have really helped us stay in games sometimes when maybe we weren't at our best. She has pitched really well and has come into her own as we've gone through the season. It's helped us have an exciting season, with her shouldering a lot of the pitching load this year.”
Prior to emerging as UNC's go-to starter, Pickett saw significant action in relief, breaking the all-time Carolina record with her fifth save of the year to seal up a combined shutout at Campbell on March 14. Pickett has pitched in all eight of UNC's shutouts this season, totaling four complete-game shutouts and combining with her teammates for four more.
“As the season went along, she emerged out of that group and she really helped us do some outstanding things throughout the season. She got better and better as we've gone through the season and you would hope that would be the way it would be. The Boston College series was one where she really catapulted forward, from that series on.”
A power-hitter at the plate, Pickett ranks fourth in the ACC with 11 home runs and 10th with a .606 slugging percentage. Her 28 walks are seventh in the conference and sit just outside the top 10 all time in UNC's single-season record book.
One of the best rookies in Carolina history, Pickett ranks in the top 10 all time among UNC freshmen in 18 different statistical categories, including second in home runs and walks, third in slugging percentage, on base percentage (.452), wins and winning percentage (.741), fourth in walks per seven innings (1.36) and fifth in strikeouts.
The Tar Heels hit the diamond later this evening in the ACC Quarterfinals, hosted in Chapel Hill at Anderson Stadium. #3-seed Carolina will play #6-seed Syracuse in the fourth and final game of the day, with an estimated start time of 7:30 p.m. All of Thursday's games will air on the ACC's selection of Regional Sports Networks, including Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Carolinas, while an online ACC Network Extra stream will be available in areas outside the ACC footprint.
NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year Top-10 Finalists
Caylan Arnold (P) – Tennessee
Maggie Balint (P) – Oregon
Alyssa Barrera (OF) – Utah
Sis Bates (2B) – Washington
Jenna Cone (3B) – George Washington
Rachel Garcia (P/DP) – UCLA
Jessie Harper (1B) – Arizona
Ryan Jackson (OF) – Bethune-Cookman
Kendyl Lindaman (C) – Minnesota
Brittany Pickett (P/1B) – North Carolina
Takesha Saltern (OF) – Weber State
