ANDERSON, S.C. - After helping lead the Anderson University softball team to its third consecutive NCAA Tournament, standout freshman Cailah Niles has been named as one of the top three finalists for Freshman of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), as announced by the organization early Thursday afternoon.

"This is a tremendous honor for Cailah, her family and Anderson University for being recognized as one of the top three freshman players in the country with ultimately the possibility of being named the number one freshman in the country," said Anderson head coach Tommy Hewitt. "It's also very gratifying as a coach to know one of your players is in the company of being known as in the top three."

Joining Niles are Dixie State's Janessa Bassett and Pittsburg State's Emmie Roberson, with the trio of outstanding student-athletes slated to be honored prior to the start of the Division II National Championship in Oklahoma City.

Niles was named First-Team All-South Atlantic Conference and the league's Freshman of the Year at the conclusion of a regular season that saw the Trojans capture the second seed in the SAC Tournament. The Phenix City, Ala., native turned in a spectacular performance over a six-game span in Hartsville, S.C., as she went 8-for-10 at the plate, with five home runs, nine RBI, six runs scored, 10 walks, a 2.400 slugging percentage and a .900 on-base percentage.

She led the conference with a school record 22 home runs on the season, while coming up just one shy of equaling the league record. Niles also paced the SAC with 69 RBI, 142 total bases and was second with an .826 slugging percentage. The catcher posted a nine-game hitting streak in April, while posting 18 multiple-hit contests during the season and ranking fourth in the conference with 67 base hits.

Niles drew 26 walks during the campaign, which was good enough for fourth in the league, and stood sixth in both batting average (.390) and on-base percentage (.475).

She currently stands third in the nation in home runs and fifth in RBI, while ranking as the only freshman in the nation in the top-seven overall nationally in home runs and the lone newcomer in the country in the top six in RBI.

"Cailah has amazing talent," added Hewitt. "She sees the ball very well and hits to all fields with enough power to hit the ball into another zip code. She possesses the capability of throwing batters out and is always working on her skills to become the total catching package. She's going to be so much fun to watch over the next 3 years."

Bassett, a speedy outfielder from Stansbury Park, Utah, leads the fourth-ranked Red Storm and the PacWest in batting average (.464), runs (74), triples (9) and stolen bases (42). She also tops the team with 32 walks and a .551 on base percentage. The PacWest Player of the Year Bassett stands third in the NCAA in runs scored and triples, fourth in runs per game (1.42), 11th in stolen bases per game (.81) and 13th in both on base percentage and batting average. In addition, Bassett has collected 77 hits, 12 doubles, two home runs and 26 RBI.

Roberson, a native of Lamar, Mo., concluded a decorated rookie season as she was named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Pitcher and Freshman of the Year. The rookie hurler broke Pittsburg State's 13-year old single-season strikeout record with MIAA-best 238. Posting a 26-10 mark and seven shutouts, Roberson led the MIAA in wins, ERA (2.03), appearances (40), opponent's batting average (.202) and innings (231). In addition, she completed 28 of 31 starts and was named Daktronics/D2SIDA First-Team All-Central Region. Her efforts in the circle helped the Gorillas to a runner-up finish in the MIAA Tournament.

The National Freshman of the Year trophy will be presented during a live ceremony at the Division II Championship/All-American banquet on Wednesday May 20.

Behind the collaboration between the NFCA and its Division II Head Coaches Committee, the award was created to honor the outstanding athletic achievement among freshmen softball student-athletes throughout Division II.