LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Rogers State softball's Andrea Morales has been named the Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II National Pitcher of the Year by a unanimous vote, the organization announced on Thursday. She is the first player in program history to win this award.
 
A native of El Paso, Texas, Morales holds every major pitching record in RSU softball history. The 2022 MIAA Player of the Year finished her final campaign with a NCAA-best 38-4 record and a 1.20 ERA as well as 348 strikeouts with only 43 walks in 280.1 innings pitched. The NFCA and D2CAA First Team All-American is one of only 17 NCAA Division II pitchers in history to log 110 wins and 1,000 strikeouts and was only of two active pitchers across all levels of the NCAA (I, II, III) to accomplish this feat, joining Division I USF's Georgina Corrick.
 
Morales played a critical role in helping the Hillcats to their first-ever NCAA Division II Softball National Championship earlier this week. She went 4-0 in the tournament with a 2.60 ERA in 31.2 innings with four complete games in five appearances.
 
The Player of the Year award was created in 2015 to honor the outstanding athletic achievements among softball student-athletes throughout NCAA Division II. In 2019, the Association expanded the award to include a Player and Pitcher of the Year.
 
The awards are voted on by the elected members of the NFCA Division II All-American Committee with one head coach representing each of the eight NCAA regions. To be eligible, a student-athlete's head coach must be a member.