The best.
Those two words again apply to University of Washington senior pitcher Danielle Lawrie in the eyes of USA Softball and the Amateur Softball Association of America. Tuesday, Lawrie was named their national player of the year for the second consecutive time.
Lawrie, a British Columbia native, became just the second repeat winner in the nine-year history of the award. The other is Cat Osterman of Texas. She won it three times.
Lawrie, the only Husky in any sport to win two national-player-of-the-year trophies, beat out sluggers Jen Yee of Georgia Tech and Megan Langenfield of UCLA.
The question now is where Lawrie ranks in the eyes of history. She is likely to go down as the greatest softball player in UW history, and there are those who believe she should be part of the conversation alongside players like Osterman, Jennie Finch, and Lisa Fernandez for the best fastpitch hurler in NCAA history.
Lawrie is 40-3 with a 1.00 ERA and a school-record 24 shutouts this season and ranks third in the nation with 478 strikeouts. Her 1,843 career strikeouts are the most in Pac-10 history and mark the fourth-highest total in NCAA history. She was named national player of the week seven times this season — also a record.
UW coach Heather Tarr has shied away from discussions about where Lawrie fits in history.
When asked by The Vancouver Sun on Tuesday to compare Lawrie to some of the sport’s all-time great pitchers, Tarr said: “Well, I’ve never been with any of them. I don’t know any of the others. But the things that Danielle has gone through to get herself to where she is, she’s worked so hard for every last thing she’s ever gotten. It’s not just talent; it’s working on your mental game.”
In a press release put out by UW’s sports information deprartment, Lawrie said she was “honored” by the award.
“Obviously this is a prestigious award, so I am deeply honored,” the press release quoted Lawrie as saying. “I would not have won it if my team didn’t do what it has been doing all year. Everyone has performed at a high level all season and Shawna (Wright), as a freshman, has come in and played so well. So, it’s tough for me to take the credit. This is a huge honor and I’m extremely thankful.”
Earlier Tuesday, Lawrie was also named one of four finalists for the Honda Award, along with Yee, Langenfield and Mississippi State’s Chelsea Bramlett. The winner of that award, to be announced Saturday, is eligible to win Honda’s national athlete of the year award.
Lawrie and the Huskies (50-7) still have time to add to the accolades. The defending national champions begin play in the College World Series on Thursday night, when they face Georgia in Oklahoma City.
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