LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Saint Xavier University senior pitcher Nicole Nonnemacher has been named the inaugural Schutt Sports/NFCA NAIA National Player of the Year, announced the Association on Wednesday afternoon.
Nonnemacher, who led the NAIA with 455 strikeouts and ranked second overall in batting average against (.129), played an integral part in the national runner-up finish for the Cougars. The three-time NAIA Pitcher of the Year earned her second straight first-team All-American selection and third recognition overall. She finished 2016 with a 31-6 record, 1.00 ERA and 17 shutouts in 266.1 innings of work.
Selected the 2016 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Pitcher of the Year and to the NAIA World Series All-Tournament team, Nonnemacher also provided some offensive punch at the plate. She hit .367 with 58 hits, nine double, three triples, 40 RBI and 36 runs scored with a a team-best .452 on-base percentage.
Her efforts in the circle and at the plate helped Saint Xavier complete its most successful season in program history. Along with national runner-up status, the best postseason finish ever, the Cougars posted a 46-10-1 overall record and won the CCAC regular season title with a 20-2-1 league mark.
The award was voted on by the members of the NFCA’s NAIA All-American and Coaching Staff of the Committee.