Gwen McGinnis and Mariah Galhouse Named To NFCA POTY Watchlist
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The National Fastpitch Coaches Association has released their 2025 NCAA Division II Player and Pitcher of the year watchlist. One hundred and sixteen student-athletes from across the country were selected with this honor including Mariah Galhouse and Gwen McGinnis from the University of Tampa's Softball program. These two have been major factors in the Spartans best start in program history (32-1) and active 28 game winning streak.
Mariah Galhouse RHP/OF: The Senior from Spring Hill, Florida has been dominant in both the circle and at the plate for the top ranked Spartans this year. Galhouse has appeared in 13 games this season with an unbelievable 0.52 ERA in just over 80 total innings pitched. In 12 starts she has an unblemished 12-0 record, posting six shutouts while only allowing six total runs. Defensively in the outfield and in the circle, Galhouse has 15 putouts and 37 assists to just one error. At the plate, the power hitter is on track to post new career highs in batting average and slugging, currently sitting at .387/.602 on the year. Her 30 RBI's are among the top in the Sunshine State Conference and the plate discipline is also one of the best with a walk to strikeout rate of 4:1. This strong start to the year has garnered two SSC POTW awards and now a spot on the NFCA watchlist.
Gwen McGinnis RHP: The Junior from Tallahassee, Florida has been a strikeout machine this year in the circle for Tampa. Through 71.1 innings this season she has punched out 70 batters while only walking nine. Just like her watchlist counterpart, McGinnis holds a perfect 12-0 record in 13 appearances while allowing less then ten runs on the year. Her opponent batting average of .194 is tied for the lowest in the SSC and her ERA of 0.63 is good for second best in the conference (behind Galhouse). She dominated her way into becoming the Friday night starter for the Spartans, tossing three shutouts in her last four starts. Look for McGinnis to set a career high in strikeouts in her next two starts as she leads the Spartans into the heat of conference play.
Tampa softball will turn their attention to a road series with Nova Southeastern this upcoming weekend with Galhouse and McGinnis leading the way.
For more information on the 2025 NFCA Division II Watchlist, please visit the official NFCA website. Voted on by the NFCA's Division II All-American Committee, the 2025 NFCA Player and Pitcher of the Year winners will be announced on May 30 following the conclusion 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.