OKLAHOMA CITY — LSU All-American Leslie Klein was named one of 25 finalists for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, as announced by the Amateur Softball Association on Friday.
Klein was one of six players from the Southeastern Conference named to the list. Joining former Tiger All-Americans Britni Sneed, Trena Peel and Kristin Schmidt, Klein becomes the fourth LSU player to be named a finalist for the award.
A third-team NFCA All-America selection in 2004 as a freshman, Klein leads the team and ranks sixth in the SEC with a .436 batting average. The junior from Sunrise, Fla., also ranks in the top 10 in the league in slugging percentage, hits, RBIs, doubles, runs scored and total bases.
The Louisiana Player of the Week on March 27, Klein was named the Most Valuable Player of the Tiger Classic and selected to the Purple & Gold Challenge All-Tournament team earlier this season. She leads the team with 19 multiple-hit games and is tied for the team-lead with eight multiple-RBI games. She is currently riding an 11-game hitting streak, the 10th longest in school history.
After coming back from two serious knee surgeries and while only in her third season for the Tigers, she is already ranks high in several career offensive categories. Klein is tied for sixth in career triples with nine, sixth in career doubles with 38, tied for seventh in career RBIs with 116, tied for fifth in career sacrifice flies with seven, tied for seventh in career home runs with 19 and tied for eighth in career hits with 176.
The list of 25 finalists will be narrowed down to 10 on May 10. On May 31, the list will be cut to three and those final players will travel to Oklahoma City for the announcement of the winner at the 2006 NCAA Women’s College World Series.
A replica of the award will be placed in a permanent display in the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, along with photos of the winner. An additional replica of the award will be presented to the player’s academic institution.
Cat Osterman became the first two-time winner of the National Player of the Year Award in 2005 after leading her Texas Longhorns to the Big 12 title and a berth into the NCAA Women’s College World Series. Past winners of the award include Stacey Nuveman (UCLA-2002), Osterman (Texas-2003) and Jessica Van der Linden (Florida State-2004).
The Top 25 finalists for the 2006 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award, in alphabetical order, are:
Monica Abbott Tennessee Salinas, CA Senior Pitcher
Lacey Bertucci ULL Folsom, LA Junior 1B
Katie Burkhart Arizona St. San Luis Obispo, CA Sophomore Pitcher
Kaitlin Cochran Arizona St Yorba Linda, CA Freshman Outfield
Melanie Denischuk UMBC Poway, CA Junior 1B/3B
Kristi Durant Tennessee Placentia, CA Senior 3B/C
Sarah Fekete Tennessee Maryville, TN Senior Outfield
Danyele Gomez ULL Metairie, LA Senior Outfield
Jenna Hall Illinois Channahon, IL Senior 1B
Whitney Haller Georgia Tech Marietta, GA Freshman 1B/P
Alicia Hollowell Arizona Suisun, CA Senior Pitcher
Leslie Klein LSU Sunrise, FL Junior Outfield
Jodie Legaspi UCLA Garden Grove, CA Junior SS
Caitlin Lowe Arizona Tustin, CA Junior Outfield
Brianne McGowan Oregon St. Reno, NV Junior P/1B
Kellie Middleton Georgia Norcross, GA Junior Outfield
Cat Osterman Texas Houston, TX Senior Pitcher
Jennie Ritter Michigan Dexter, MI Senior Pitcher
Anjelica Selden UCLA Vacaville, CA Sophomore Pitcher
Kristina Thorson California Lake Forest Park, WA Senior Pitcher
Angela Tincher Virginia Tech Eagle Rock, VA Sophomore Pitcher
Stephanie VanBrakle Alabama Chambersburg, PA Senior Pitcher
Kristin Vesley Oklahoma Phoenix, AZ Senior Outfield
Desiree Williams Texas Tucson, AZ Sophomore P/UT
Haley Woods California Burlingame, CA Senior C/1B