Grinnell College softball player
Taylor Durak '24 has enjoyed a stellar season to date, and her accomplishments have not gone unnoticed.
Durak, a designated player/outfielder from Joliet, Ill., is one of 144 student-athletes from around the country named to the 2023 Tucci/NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) Division III Player and Pitcher of the Year watchlist.
New for 2023, the list is broken down into regions, with student-athletes representing one of the 10 NCAA regions. This list is compiled by the elected members of the NFCA Division III All-America Committee, who will also vote to choose the Player and Pitcher of the Year honorees at the conclusion of the season.
Durak, who is a Region IX representative, ranks 20th in the nation in on-base percentage at .587 and is 22nd in batting average with a .523 clip. She has five home runs, six doubles and 16 runs scored and a slugging percentage of .846. Her slugging percentage is 34
th-best in the country.
Voted on by the NFCA's Division III All-America Committee, the 2023 Tucci/NFCA Player and Pitcher of the Year will be announced on June 9. All student-athletes are eligible for the end-of-the-season award and do not have to be on this list to be considered by the committee.
The Player of the Year award was created in 2016 to honor the outstanding softball achievement in NCAA Division III. In 2019, the Association expanded the award to include separate Player and Pitcher of the Year honors.
