LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Rutgers pitcher Ella Harrison was named to the 2025 NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25 list on Friday afternoon.
The winner will be announced on Tuesday, May 27, prior to the start of the 2025 NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
This year's finalists hail from 24 different universities and represent 10 NCAA Division I conferences from across the nation.
The rookie right-hander is the Rutgers single-season leader in strikeouts with 199 on the year and is five away from cracking the Scarlet Knight career top 10 in her first season "On The Banks". It marks the most strikeouts by an RU pitcher since 2013.
Entering the week, Harrison ranked eighth among DI pitchers in strikeouts and second in the Big Ten behind Nebraska's two-time All-American Jordy Bahl. Additionally, she started the week ninth in the country and tied with Bahl in the Big Ten in complete games (16) and was second in the league in shutouts (4).
Defensively, Harrison has committed no errors in 30 appearances.
Harrison was Rutgers' first-ever NFCA National Pitcher of the Week back on March 10 and also earned D1Softball National Pitcher of the Week, Big Ten Pitcher and Freshman of the Week honors and was named to Michaella Chester's NCAA Starting Lineup. The Clarence, New York native collected three complete-game shutouts, including her first career no-hitter, in her three appearances at the Bob Heck Memorial Tournament and finished the weekend with a 0.00 ERA. She gave up six hits, none for extra bases, seven walks while striking out 34 and holding the opposition to a .095 batting average. The rookie Scarlet Knight had allowed no earned runs thur her last 33 innings pitched at the end of the tournament. The freshman captured a no-hitter in a 1-0 win over North Dakota behind a career-high 16 strikeouts, the most by an RU pitcher since 2022 and surpassed over 100 strikeouts on the year. She also added another shutout in a 1-0 win over West Georgia, striking out eight and allowing no walks. The Scarlet Knight made her fourth consecutive shutout and sixth game this season in double-figure strikeouts in an 8-0 win over host Georgia State. She gave up two hits, one walk, while fanning 10 Panthers.
The freshman hurler also picked up Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week on February 17 as she collected three complete game victories at the Lion Invitational for a 1.00 ERA with 26 strikeouts over 21.0 innings pitched at the Lion Invitational, holding opponents to a .195 batting average and three earned runs. Harrison earned her first victory of the year as RU downed SIUE, 9-3, going the distance and allowing only one earned run on six hits while fanning eight in her first collegiate victory.. She followed tossing nine strikeouts and no earned runs in a 2-1 win over Abilene Christian, holding the Wildcats to four hits, none for extra bases. In the Lion Invite finale with host East Texas A&M, Harrison made it three consecutive complete-game victories in the 4-2 win. She hurled nine strikeouts for the second straight game.
2025 NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25
AnnaLea Adams, Auburn
Ilove'a Brittingham, BYU
Morgan Brown, ULM
Makenzie Butt, Boise State
Jada Cooper, Grand Canyon
Alexis DeBoer, Washington
Tori Edwards, LSU
Addisen Fisher, UCLA
Bella Foran, FAU
Jazzy Francik, Florida State
Kelly Fricker, Lehigh
Miali Guachino, Ole Miss
Ella Harrison, Rutgers
Jayden Heavener, LSU
Maddie Johnson, Georgia Southern
Sophia Kardatzke, USC Upstate
Jordan Lynch, Virginia Tech
Rylee McCoy, Oregon
Ella McDowell, Arkansas
Nelly McEnroe-Marinas, Oklahoma
Lauren Putz, Michigan
Dakota Redmon, Radford
Taylor Shumaker, Florida
Audrey Vandagriff, Alabama
Isabella Vega, UCF
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