OU Softball: Chamberlain And Pendley Added To Top 50 Watch List

Oklahoma juniors Lauren Chamberlain and Shelby Pendley were each named to the Top 50 Watch List for the 2014 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball announced.

Chamberlain is coming off back-to-back seasons as a first-team All-American. For the second year in a row, Chamberlain crushed 30 home runs to become just the second player in NCAA history to have multiple 30-home run seasons. One of three finalists for USA Softball Player of the Year in 2013, Chamberlain led the nation in home runs (30), home runs per game (0.49), slugging percentage (1.113) and runs per game (1.43), ranked second in OBP (.613) and RBI per game (1.38), fourth in walks per game (1.03) and eighth in batting average (.458).

Pendley is coming off a breakout campaign in her first season as a Sooner. She was named Big 12 Player of the Year and was a second-team All-American as she hit 22 home runs, 15 doubles and a triple. Pendley batted .357 with a .488 OBP and .842 slugging mark as she saw action at both third base and shortstop.

Should Chamberlain or Pendley go on to win the Player of the Year Award, it would mark the third consecutive season that an OU player took home the honor as former Sooner Keilani Ricketts was the two-time winner in 2012 and 2013.

The Sooners are one of 11 schools, and the only Big 12 representative, to have multiple players on the list. Alabama, Arizona State and Oregon all tied for the lead with three selections each.

Now in its 13th year, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, given by the National Governing Body for softball in the United States, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country.

The Top 25 finalists for the 2014 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be announced April 9. 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 announced May 7 and the Top 3 finalists will be announced May 21. On May 27, prior to the start of the 2014 NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, the 2014 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed.