Division II traditionally kicks off their season a week prior to the Division 1 season beginning, but with much less fanfare than their D1 counterparts. It’s really a shame, because some tremendous talent and quality teams reside in D2.
With a countdown nearing single digits before the D2 season officially kicks off, we’re spotlighting some of the names to know for this D2 season! Important distinction: These are ten of the best, not the ten best. There’s a lot of talent that didn’t make this list – we’ll showcase some of those standouts throughout the year, as well!
Let’s get to the list…
Hannah Marsteller | IF| Shippensburg
>>> After cementing her place as a solid piece of the team’s offensive and defensive lineup, Marsteller has improved every season in her career and continued that tend in 2021, batting .500 on the year in forty games and collecting 18 home runs, 12 doubles, 42 runs scored, and 64 RBIs. She also worked 23 walks while striking out just five times all season.
Lauren Wedman | OF | Colorado Mesa
>>> Named a consensus first-team All-American last season, Wedman hit .514 last season and led her conference with 75 hits on the year. She notched 67 RBIs and 27 extra base hits, the latter a fairly-even split of 12 doubles, seven triples, and eight home runs. She also showed off her speed, with eleven stolen bases to her credit and 65 runs scored.
Shelby Robb | OF | MSU-Denver
>>> As a true freshman in 2021, Robb earned All-American honors for a season that saw her post a .535 batting average and 61 hits, as well as 41 runs scored. She was as great a power threat as she was an on-base weapon, collecting twenty extra base hits including eight home runs. Robb was also perfect on the defensive side of the ball, with a 1.000 fielding percentage to her credit.
Paige Austin | P | Biola
>>> The ace in the circle for Biola last season, Austin helped her team reach the D2 national championship series and finish one game from a championship. She led the conerence in five statistical categories, including with 16 wins, a 1.33 ERA, and 175 strikeouts.
Tatum Dow | SS | Western Washington
>>> Dow has become a fixture in the middle infield in a season and a half at WWU; she batted .417 last season while anchoring the shortstop position for the Vikings. The former Bellevue College transfer was a JuCo all-American and last season, she led the GNAC in batting average and finished second in the league with a .481 on-base percentage.
Lexy Rees | UT | UIndy
>>> Rees enjoyed a breakout season at the plate last year, after struggling at the start of the 2020 season as a true freshman. In her second year, and first full season, Rees became an offensive juggernaut for UIndy, to the tune of a .371 batting average, ten home runs, and 46 RBIs to her credit. She also scored 32 runs on the season.
Nikki Pennington | IF | Valdosta State
>>> Part of an ever-powerful Valdosta team, Pennington led the club both with a .406 batting average and 24 home runs last season. She paced the squad in a total of eleven statistical categories, numbers that also included 58 runs scored, 60 RBIs, and a 1.485 OPS.
Kelsey Byers | P | Malone
>>> Byers helmed the Malone pitching staff last season, posting an impressive 1.96 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in 189 innings of work. She was 22-8 from the cricle, throwing 24 complete games, and holding opponents to a .228 batting average. She also collected 236 strikeouts and had an impressive strikeout/walk ratio better than 13/1.
Taylor Franco | P | Lubbock Christian
>>> The 2021 season was Franco’s first true full season as a college player, after an injury ended her freshman year mid-way through 2019. In 2021, Franco earned the second all-conference honors of her career after posting a 14-8 overall record and a 1.17 ERA in the circle, along with 92 strikeouts to her credit.
Allie Miller | UT | Auburn-Montgomery
>>> Miller was a lineup anchor for AUM last season, batting .394 as a true sophomore and finishing in the top five nationally with 31 stolen bases on the year. She collected ten doubles, scored 45 runs, and also notched 18 RBIs to her credit. After batting over .400 during the shortened 2020 campaign, Miller owns a career .398 average and .451 on-base percentage as a Warhawk.
