Softball | 2/3/2016 2:04:00 PM

DETROIT -- Two members of the Wayne State University softball team were listed among the 50 student-athletes selected to the NFCA/Schutt Sports Division II National Player of the Year award watch list.

Recognized by the NFCA were redshirt junior pitcher Lyndsay Butler (Cambridge, Ont. / Centennial C.V.I.) and senior third baseman Jade McGarr (Guelph, Ont. / St. James Catholic).

Butler was named to the 2015 NFCA All-America Second Team as the pitcher/utility, while also earning Daktronics/Division II CCA Third Team All-America accolades.  Butler, who participated in just six games as a true freshman in 2013 before suffering a season-ending injury, has compiled a 49-19 career record with nine saves in 79 appearances.  She has 615 strikeouts in 462.1 innings with a 1.12 earned-run average.  Offensively, Butler is a career .382 hitter with 45 extra-base hits (27 doubles, 10 triples and eight home runs) in 121 contests, along with a .558 slugging percentage.

McGarr was selected to the NFCA All-Midwest Region First Team in 2015 as a third baseman (tie with Lindsey Stephens from Trevecca Nazarene).  She was also voted to the Daktronics All-Midwest Region Second Team as the third baseman.  McGarr has batted .368 in 160 career games with 30 doubles and 73 RBI.  She was also the first Warrior to hit a home run in the College World Series as she went 3-for-5 with a solo home run vs. Valdosta State at the 2014 CWS.

See below for NFCA Relase

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Fifty student-athletes from across the country have been selected to the watch list for the NFCA/Schutt Sports Division II National Player of the Year award, announced the Association on Wednesday afternoon.

Headlining the list are 23 returning NFCA All-Americans, nine from the first team, including 2015 Player and Freshman of the Year recipients, Courtney Poole of North Georgia and Janessa Bassett from Dixie State, respectively.

In all, the group consists of 24 seniors, 14 juniors and 12 sophomores, representing 37 programs from 18 different conferences. Ten programs garnered multiple candidates with Valdosta State, West Virginia Wesleyan and California (Pa.) boasting three representatives apiece. Dixie State, Wayne State (Mich.), Cal State Monterey Bay, Humboldt State, University of Missouri-St. Louis, West Texas A&M and Azusa Pacific earned two nods apiece.

The Peach Belt (Armstrong State, Montevallo, North Georgia, Young Harris) and Lone Star (Angelo State, Cameron, Tarleton State and West Texas A&M) Conferences have representation from four programs. The Great Lakes Valley (Bellarmine, Indianapolis, UMSL) and Gulf South (UAH, Shorter, Valdosta State) Conferences have three schools on the list.

The Top 25 finalists for the 2016 NFCA/ Schutt Sports Division II National Player of the Year award will be announced on April 21.

While an athlete does not have to be on watch list to be considered for the Top 25, the winner will come from the 25 finalists. The Top 10 finalists will be announced on May 6 and the Top 3 on May 11 with the 2016 Player of the Year revealed on May 18.

Behind the collaboration between the NFCA and the NCAA Division II Head Coaches Committee, and the generosity of Schutt Sports, the award was created in 2015 to honor the outstanding athletic achievement among softball student-athletes throughout Division II.

The list was voted on by the eight-member NFCA Division II All-American/Coaching Staff of the Year Committee, consisting of one member from each of the NFCA's eight regions.