FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas softball pitcher Mary Haff was named this week as one of the top three finalists for the 2018 Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association's Division I National Freshman of the Year award.
The Winter Haven, Fla., native leads the Southeastern Conference and ranks second in the nation with 29 wins to just six losses with an ERA of 1.35. She has struck out 246 batters and walked only 41 while allowing 110 hits in more than 207 innings with 19 complete games in 30 starts and 40 total appearances.
The National Freshman of the Year will be announced Tuesday at the Women's College World Series Banquet. The other finalists are Oklahoma's Jocelyn Alo and Michigan's Meghan Beaubien.
The original list of finalists included 25 candidates. Haff's leadership helped the Razorbacks (42-15) go 3-0 in their first ever home Fayetteville Regional and advance to the program's first-ever trip to an NCAA super regional.
No. 13 Arkansas is scheduled to open the Norman Super Regional on Friday at 4 p.m. against No. 3 Oklahoma (53-3), the defending national champion. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 (Resort Channel 29).
The second game of the super regional is scheduled for noon on Saturday and be broadcast on ESPN (Resort Channel 30). A third game, if necessary, would be held at noon on Sunday and be shown on ESPN.
Haff tallied wins in all three victories for Arkansas in the Fayetteville Regional at Bogle Park without allowing a run in 18 2/3 innings. She posted a pair of complete-game shutouts in the Razorbacks' wins over DePaul (35-17) and Wichita State (32-23). She struck out seven batters and allowed only two hits in 4 2/3 innings of relief in a second appearance against the Shockers.
"She just has a lot of guts, and she's a consistent fighter for us" head coach Courtney Deifel said after Sunday's win over Wichita State.
"It's that point in the season when you don't count pitches anymore. Tired isn't in your vocabulary. You just do what you need to for your team to win, and that's exactly what Mary did this weekend."
Haff was previously named to the NFCA All-South Region Second Team, SEC All-Tournament Team, All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Freshman Team. She was named the SEC Freshman of the Week three times this season.
Her 19 complete games is tied for 11th in the NCAA with 11 shutouts, holding opposing hitters to a .152 batting average. She has 11 outings this year with at least seven strikeouts coupled with one or no walks.
Haff threw the seventh no-hitter in program history on March 2 in a 9-0 win over Northern Colorado (28-28) during the Razorback Invitational at Bogle Park. She added 12 strikeouts against the Bears. Haff also registered seven one-hitters this season.
Sports on 05/24/2018