Lucas Gebhart

Sports Editor

Idaho State left fielder Kacie Burnett was named Top 50 “Watch List,” for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.

This is the second consecutive season that Burnett was named to the list, making her the first player in school history to be named to the list two years in a row.

The only other ISU player to ever be named to the list is Vicky Galasso, who was named to the list in 2014.

Galasso graduated from ISU in 2015 and is currently an assistant at Weber State.

Galasso was the first Big Sky player to play professionally as the former ISU power-hitter plays for the Dallas Charge in the National Pro Fastpitch League.

The former catcher was named Big Sky Player of the Year twice and is a three-time NFCA All-Region honoree.Burnett is one of 16 players on the list from a non-Power Five conference and is the only Big Sky player on the list.

Arizona, Auburn, Florida State and Oklahoma have the most players on the list with three each while LSU, Michigan and Oregon each have two.

The senior is hitting a career batting average of .453 as she hit .454 last season, scoring 51 runs on 79 hits with 27 RBI and a .510 on base percentage while stealing 27 bases on 32 attempts.

Burnett is 91-of-102 in her ISU career in base stealing.

The list will eventually be whittled down to three players by May 24 with the Player of the Year being announced on the 30th.

Burnett is one of 26 seniors on the list as it will be cut to 25 on April 12 and down to 10 on May 10.

ISU opens its season on Feb. 17 as the Bengals travel to Las Vegas to play Colorado State, the school where head coach Candi Letts made a name for herself in tournament play.