Troutman Claims Player of the Year Honors

MELBOURNE, Fla. (May 8, 2023) - The Sunshine State Conference announced their end of year honors and awards for softball on Monday afternoon. Rollins senior Ashley Troutman was selected by coaches as the SSC Player of the Year.

Troutman put together one of the top individual seasons in program history, placing her among the top hitters in not just the SSC, but the entire country. Along the way, she broke multiple school records, and earned a spot on the Top 10 in many more. 

In 49 games, Troutman went 80-164 at the plate for a batting average of .488. While speed was her ultimate weapon, she had plenty of extra-base hits as well including nine doubles, three triples, and seven home runs. This gave her a slugging percentage of .707. She walked eleven times and was hit by two pitches to bring her on-base percentage to .522. She also used her aforementioned speed early and often, swiping a total of 49 bases in 51 attempts (a 96.1% success rate).

From a team perspective, she led the Tars in: average, at-bats (164), runs (48), hits, doubles, triples, total bases (116), slugging, on-base percentage, and steals. 

She was all over the SSC leader boards as well. She led the conference in average, hitting a whopping 47 points higher than Saint Leo's Alexandra Hare (.441). She was also tops in OPS, hits, and steals. Troutman also had the second-best marks for runs, total bases, and on-base percentage.

For a long stretch in March, she was the NCAA leader in average, hits and stolen bases. She wrapped up her year in 7th in average, 7th in hits, and 6th in steals.

Troutman hit safely in 37 of 49 games, and had multiple hits in 28 contests. She had two separate hitting streaks of eleven games, and also had a multi-hit game streak of five twice as well. 

Ashley broke four Rollins records this spring. On March 15 against Bloomsburg, she stole six bases in one game, shattering the previous mark of four, which was accomplished by six former players. On March 26, she picked up her 44th steal of the year against Barry to tie the record for a season, and would end up setting the new mark at 49, surpassing Sherri Rabenold's 2008 record. On April 29, her two-hit performance against Florida Southern have her 80 knocks for the spring, besting the previous record of 78, also held by Rabenold in 2007. She finished her year with a .488 batting average, putting her one point ahead of previous record holder Liz Bartels (1997).

Other notable Rollins season record benchmarks for Troutman include: slugging (9th), OBP (6th), and total bases (6th).
Other notable Rollins career record benchmarks for Troutman include: average (.372, 10th), stolen bases (97, 2nd), stolen base % (94.1%, 1st), and runs (118, 8th).

In addition to the conference award, Troutman was also selected by her peers as the 2023 Tommy Award winner for Female Athlete of the Year. 

"I could not be more proud of Ashley for all that she has accomplished this season," remarked head coach, and former SSC Player of the Year, Christine Roser-Lefevers. "Ashley is the epitome of student-athlete. She posted amazing numbers on the field, was a leader in the dugout, set an example for all of our players, and is also a valedictorian for the Class of 2023. Her work ethic is second to none, and I am so happy that she is taking home this award. She earned it!"

SSC Release

Kayla Betts of Saint Leo was named the Pitcher of the Year, while Brianna Neal of Saint Leo took home the Freshman of the Year award. Leslie Kanter of Tampa was recognized as the Coach of the Year. 

Troutman was the only Tar on the first team. However, she was joined on the overall list by fellow senior Taylor Waters, who earned a spot on the second team as an outfielder. Waters slashed .316/.397/.463 with 22 runs, 25 RBI, and 10 stolen bases this spring.