2026 NFCA DII Watchlist

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Slippery Rock University softball outfielders Alyssa Massucci and Alyssa Sheely have been named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II Player of the Year watchlist, the organization announced Wednesday.

118 players from across the country were named as part of the 2026 NFCA Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year watchlist. The list is broken down into the eight NCAA Regions with up to 15 student-athletes represented in each region. The list is compiled by the elected members of the NFCA Division II All-American Committee with one head coach representing each of the eight NCAA regions.

Massucci and Sheely are two of three Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division players to make the 2026 watchlist. Additionally, the duo are two of six players from the conference as a whole to be named to the watchlist. SRU was the only team in the Atlantic Region to have two position players nominated for the award. 

Sheely, a senior from New Middletown, Ohio, has a team-leading .481 batting average (26-of-54) with 24 RBIs, 14 runs, two home runs and five doubles. The right fielder has a .685 slugging percentage and a .508 on-base percentage in 17 games played (16 starts).

Occupying the other corner outfield position, Massucci, a sophomore from Warren, Ohio, is hitting .424 (28-of-66) with 17 runs, 14 RBIs, three home runs and a team-leading seven doubles. In 21 games played (20 starts), Massucci is slugging .727 with a .435 on-base percentage.

Across the PSAC, Sheely ranks third in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage , sixth in OPS (1.193), eighth in RBIs  and 10^th in slugging percentage, while Massucci sits sixth in slugging percentage, ninth in batting average and 10^th in OPS (1.162).
 
Voted on by the NFCA's Division II All-American Committee, the 2026 NFCA Player of the Year and NFCA/Portolite Pitcher of the Year will be announced on May 27, a day prior to the start of the NCAA Division II National Championships. All student-athletes are eligible for the end-of-the-season award and do not have to be on this list to be considered.

Atlantic Region DII Player of the Year Watchlist

Paige Whittington	Bluefield State	CIAA
Kinsley Proepper	East Stroudsburg	PSAC
Emma Smerick	Gannon	PSAC
Zailees Seda	Glenville State	MEC
Blaire Balestrini	Lock Haven	PSAC
Lexi Pickett	Millersville	PSAC
Alyssa Massucci	Slippery Rock	PSAC
Alyssa Sheely	Slippery Rock	PSAC
Jailyn Myrick	Virginia Union	CIAA
Paytyn Tucker	West Liberty	MEC
Reagan Winn	West Virginia Wesleyan	MEC

To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official athletic communication accounts on Twitter (@Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).