OKLAHOMA CITY – Juniors Ciara Briggs and Taylor Pleasants have been selected to the Top 50 Watch List for the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Wednesday.
Briggs is coming off a monster season that featured her becoming the first collegiate Gold Glove Award Winner in the program’s history. She was also tabbed to the 2022 SEC All-Defensive Team after recording a perfect fielding percentage on 89 chances from centerfield. At the plate, Briggs batted .368 with 70 hits and had a team best 53 runs and 23 multiple-hit games.
Pleasants is a NFCA All-American (2021) and two-time All-SEC selection who finished the 2022 season with a .295 batting average and led the team with 28 extra-base hits, including 15 doubles, 12 home runs and one triple.
Briggs currently ranks No. 7 all-time in the LSU record book with a .360 career batting average and Pleasants is ranked No. 3 with a .610 career slugging percentage entering 2023. Both Briggs and Pleasants are tied at No. 10 all-time with a .425 career on-base percentage.
Represented on the Top 50 Watch List is 26 universities and nine athletic conferences. The SEC leads the athletic conferences with 18 athletes.
The Top 25 Finalists for the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be announced April 19. While an athlete does not have to be on the “Watch List” to be considered for the Top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the Top 25 Finalists. The Top 10 Finalists will be revealed May 3 and the Top 3 released May 17. The 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be announced prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series.
LSU will open the 2023 season with the LSU Invitational on Feb. 10-12 at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge, La. The Tigers will host New Mexico twice, No. 25 Oregon State twice and Nicholls State on the opening weekend.
Directly support LSU Softball by joining the Diamondbackers today!
For the latest news and information on Tiger softball, visit www.lsusports.net/softball. Fans can also follow the team on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/lsusoftball and @lsusoftball on Instagram and Twitter.