Softball's Cangiano Included in 2023 Tucci/NFCA DII Player & Pitcher of the Year Watch List
RINDGE, N.H. (3/30/23) – On Thursday afternoon, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) unveiled their selections for the 2023 Tucci/NFCA DII Player & Pitcher of the Year Watchlist, naming softball's Ashley Cangiano (North Attleboro, Mass.) in a list of 11 players from the east region.
Joining Cangiano from the Northeast-10 Conference is Adelphi's Lindsey Hibbs (P) and Courtney Wengryn (OF), Southern Connecticut's Jacqueline Dumont (DP), Bentley's Jordan Krause (OF), and Saint Anselm's Hailey Hicks (P). Wilmington University and Georgian Court University additionally had two players named, while Caldwell University had one.
New in 2023, the list is divided amongst the NCAA's eight total regions, with as many as 15 athletes represented in each. The award is then voted on by the elected members of the NFCA Division II All-American Committee, with one appointed head coach to representing each region. To be eligible, a student-athlete's head coach must be a member of the NFCA. The official 2023 Tucci/NFCA Player and Pitcher of the Year will be announced on June 1, and any and all players are eligible for selection.
This season, Cangiano currently ranks 2nd in the Northeast-10 Conference in batting average (.493) and total RBI (26), and holds the lead in stolen bases (16). Earlier in the season, she was named the NE10's Player of the Week for the third time in her collegiate career.
Cangiano and Pierce softball prepares for a doubleheader matchup at the University of New Haven this afternoon, with game times set for 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.