LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Grand Valley State senior Allison Lipovsky was named the 2019 Schutt Sports / NFCA Division II National Pitcher of the Year, the Association announced on Thursday morning. Voted on by the NFCA's Division II All-American Committee, Lipovsky was an unanimous selection.
Lipovsky, a two-time NFCA First-Team All-America selection, guided the Lakers (51-10) to its second winningest season in program history and an appearance in the 2019 NCAA Division II national semifinals. Additionally, she keyed GVSU to Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) regular season and conference tournament titles.
Congratulations to @GVSUSoftball's Allison Lipovsky our 2019 @schuttsports / NFCA @NCAADII Pitcher of the Year https://t.co/WAhmiQDqiJ pic.twitter.com/IjRKubfYHX
— NFCA (@NFCAorg) May 30, 2019
A two-time GLIAC Pitcher of the Year, Lipovsky racked up a program-record 33 wins, tied for the top spot nationally, with a 0.94 ERA in 39 starts. In 252 innings of work, the hard-throwing righty struck out a Division II-best 362 batters, while opposing offenses hit just .158 against her. She recorded the most shutouts in Division II with 18 and finished third nationally in ERA, fifth in hits allowed per seven innings (3.92), fifth in strikeouts per seven innings (10.1) and ninth in strikeout-to-walk-ratio (7.10).
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The other two hurlers on the list of finalists were Concordia Irvine’s Callie Nunes and North Georgia’s Kylee Smith.
The award was created in 2015 to honor the outstanding athletic achievement among softball student-athletes throughout Division II. In 2019, the award was split into two categories with a new Pitcher of the Year plaudit coming out of it.
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Schutt Sports/NFCA Player of the Year
2019 – Allison Lipovsky, Grand Valley State University
Schutt Sports/NFCA Player of the Year
2018 – Kylee Smith, North Georgia
2017 – Coley Ries, Minnesota State
2016 – Lindsay Butler, Wayne State University
2015 – Courtney Poole, North Georgia
