Thursday, May 6, 2021
by Western Washington Athletic Communications

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – A pair of Western Washington softball players are among the 30 players in NCAA Division II that have been selected as finalists for the 2021 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Year awards.
 
Senior pitcher Anna Kasner and junior shortstop Tatum Dow are listed on the top 30 list that was unveiled this week by the NFCA headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky.
 
The list of student-athletes that are finalists for the award is represented by 25 different programs and 15 conferences. The group consists of 11 graduate students or seniors, eight juniors, eight sophomores and three freshmen. WWU joins North Georgia, Texas-Tyler, Rollins College and Valdosta State with two players represented.
 
Kasner entered GNAC Championships with a 10-3 pitching record and a 1.88 ERA (25 ER, 93.1 IP) in 17 appearances (16 starts). The right-hander has struck out 115 batters and is among the nation's leaders averaging 8.6 strikeouts per 7.0 innings. She recently became the WWU and GNAC all-time leader with 513 career strikeouts and authored the seventh perfect game in conference history.
 
Dow entered the GNAC Championships leading the GNAC and is in the top-035 in the nation batting .460 (46-for-100) with 22 runs scored, 7 doubles, 5 home runs and 25 RBI. WWU's starting shortstop in all 32 games this season is also one of the toughest to strike out in the nation with only three strikeouts in 118 plate appearances.