LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Kayleigh Jones has been named to the 2024 TUCCI/NFCA DII Player & Pitcher Watchlist for a second straight year, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced on Thursday.
Jones' name landed on last year's list before she went on to garner a First Team NFCA All-America nod and other accolades.
The recognition, which came about in 2023, honors 120 softball student-athletes across the country.
The list is broken down into the eight NCAA Regions (Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast and West) with up to 15 student-athletes represented in each region. The list is compiled by the elected members of the NFCA Division II All-American Committee with one head coach representing each of the eight NCAA regions.
Voted on by the NFCA's Division II All-American Committee, the 2024 Tucci/NFCA Player and Pitcher of the Year Award will be announced on May 27 following the conclusion of the NCAA Division II National Championships.
Jones leads the Bison's pitching rotation with an 11-4 record and a 1.97 earned run average. She adds the country's third-most strikeouts (153) and the highest number of shutouts in the GAC (4).
The Claremore, Okla. native has thrown 11 complete games and owns the nation's 14th-best hits allowed per seven innings average (4.14). Additionally, she is the Division II active career leader in strikeouts (919), games started (105), and ranks third in shutouts (28).
Jones has also been named the GAC's Pitcher of the Week twice this season.
