Jan. 30, 2008

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Sophomore Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and junior Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) have been named to the USA Softball Player of the Year watch list, announced today by the Amateur Softball Association.

The award, which is considered one of the most prestigious honors in women's collegiate softball, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country. The 2008 preseason watch list is comprised of 50 players representing 34 schools and 14 different NCAA Division I conferences.

The watch list spot is the second for Williams, who was a finalist for last year's USA Softball Player of the Year award. Pauly's nod is the first of her career. Last season Northwestern placed three 'Cats on the list, with 2007 graduates Eileen Canney and Garland Cooper joining Williams on the watch list.

Pauly is the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year after tying Northwestern's freshman record with 14 home runs and ranking 24th in the nation in RBIs last year. She drove in 62 runs, the second-best total in school history, and led the conference in RBIs and total bases during league play.

Williams, who also is one of 10 players named to the CSTV.com Player of the Year preseason watch list, is a two-time NFCA All-American, earning first-team honors in 2007. While she ranked sixth in the nation with 1.12 runs per game last year, she also owns 30 career home runs after just two collegiate seasons.

To view the complete 50-player watch list, link to USAsoftball.com.