LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Following a pair of phenomenal 2019 seasons, Augustana softball's Ashley Mickschl and Mary Pardo are both named to Schutt Sports/NFCA DII Pitcher & Player of the Year Watch List. Only fifty student-athletes from across the country make the list, which will be reduced to a top-25 in April. 

Mickschl, a two-time NFCA All-America honoree, makes the top-50 list for the second time in her career. The MVP of the 2019 NCAA National Championship series, Mickshl finished 2019 with 32-6 record, a 1.86 ERA, 196 strikeouts and 22 complete games. The first-team All-Region selection was also impressive from the plate, hitting .318 with four home runs and 52 RBI.

The junior has not missed a beat in 2020, collecting a pair of top-15 complete-game wins over No.15 Cameron and No. 10 Texas A&M-Commerce. For her efforts, Mickschl earned the first NSIC Pitcher of the Week selection. 

Just a sophomore, Pardo finds herself named among the nation's best for the first time in her career. The reigning NSIC Freshman of the Year, Prado put the league on watch with a phenomenal display of power, speed, and handwork. Pardo, who broke the single-season record for starts (72),  crushed 17 home runs in 2019, ranking second in the conference and top-10 in the nation. Overall, Pardo hit .354 with 46 RBI and scored 70 runs for the DII Champions. 

Through six games in 2020, Pardo is hitting .364 with a team-high six RBI.

The No. 1 Vikings return to action this weekend, heading to Denver, Colorado for a pair of games with Metro State University (Friday) and a doubleheader with Colorado School of Mines (Saturday).

About the Schutt Sports/NFCA DII Pitcher & Player of the Year Watch List
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.