April 10, 2008

Houston - University of Houston senior pitcher Angel Shamblin was named a Top 25 Finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year as it was announced by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA).

The award is considered one of the most prestigious honors in women's collegiate softball and recognizes the outstanding athletic achievement by female softball players across the country.

This is the first nomination to the award for the Davie, Fla., native. She currently leads the Cougars and Conference USA in ERA at 0.65 and wins with 20. Her opposing batting average is second at .156.

In 25 appearances in the circle this season, Shamblin is 20-2 and has 168 strikeouts, two saves and she has only allowed 16 runs.

The 25 nominees for the Player of the Year Award have combined to represent 18 colleges and 10 different NCAA Division I Conference. There are 11 seniors, six juniors, five sophomores and three freshmen on the list.

On May 7 a list of 10 finalists will be named from the list. The nominees will then be narrowed down to three on May 21. Those final three players will travel to Oklahoma City, Okla., where the winner will be announced at the 2008 NCAA Women's College World Series Party at the Park on May 27.

The ASA was founded in 1933 and is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States. They are also a member of the United States Olympic Committee.

Junior Jessica Valis was initially named to the Top 50 Watch List when it was released on Jan. 30, 2008.

The Cougars will be back in action April 12-13 when they play host to ECU at Cougar Softball Stadium. All three games of the series will air on CBS College Sports. Saturday's doubleheader will begin a 1:30 pm and 4pm with the final game on Sunday set to start at noon.