Ole Miss softball shortstop Hailey Lunderman (Choctaw/Lakota) has been named a top-10 finalist for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Ole Miss softball shortstop Hailey Lunderman (MBCI/Lakota) has been named a top-10 finalist for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year, the NFCA announced Thursday.

Lunderman, a recent All-Freshman SEC selection, has been arguably one of the top freshmen in the nation all season, flashing both the leather on the infield, and leading the team and conference in hitting in her first season of collegiate softball.

The Philadelphia, Mississippi native has led the offense all season with a single-season record 73 hits through 58 games, batting at a .378 clip with 40 runs scored. She’s driven in 16 runs and stolen 19 bases, leading the Rebels with 24 multi-hit games all season.

Lunderman is the only Ole Miss player to start in all 58 games, and is the only shortstop on the top-10 finalist lists for the Freshman of the Year honor.

She joins three other players from the SEC on the list including Florida’s Kelly Barnhill and Amanda Lorenz, and Texas A&M’s Keeli Milligan.

The NFCA Top-3 Finalists will be released on Wednesday, May 25, with the winner being announced Tuesday, May 31.

Lunderman and the Rebels, a day after winning their first-ever SEC Tournament game, will take on No. 1 Florida in the quarterfinals Thursday at 4 p.m. at Nusz Park in Starkville.