It was announced late last week that sophomore catcher Nicky Neumann (Fremont, CA) was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III All-American First Team.

As the team’s starting catcher, Neumann led the Bulldogs to their fourth consecutive Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship and NCAA appearance. With this award, she caps off a stellar second season that included SCIAC Player of the Year honors. During the 2008 campaign, Neumann led the team in most offensive categories, posting a batting average of .407 with 68 hits, 40 runs scored, 15 doubles, and six home runs. She also tallied four triples and 28 RBI to rank second on the team. She was struck out only twice this season. On defense, she earned a .977 fielding percentage with a team-leading 254 putouts to go along with 46 assists. Finally, she picked off an impressive 18 would-be base-stealers.

This marks the first All-American selection for Bulldog softball since 2005, when then-junior catcher Maritza Padilla (Irvine, CA) garnered a Third Team nod.