VIDEO: Lindsay Dean Interview
VIDEO: Danielle Kranz Interview
Carson-Newman and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference's Minnesota-Duluth are the only school with multiple players on the inaugural list.
Anderson catcher Cailah Niles is the only other South Atlantic Conference player on the list.
Dean and Kranz are seventh and ninth in the SAC, respectively, for earned run average. Dean has a 2.08 tally while Kranz checks in at 2.22.
"It's humbling," Kranz said. "I couldn't have done it without my team. It certainly pushes me to be even better than what I have been."
Kranz ranks 33rd in the country for strikeouts per seven innings and is third in the SAC with 116 batters fanned this season.
She became the first C-N pitcher since Mary Shealey in 2010 to strikeout 10 batters in a game – a feat she has accomplished twice this season. She also tossed a five-inning no-hitter against Davis & Elkins back on Feb. 27 – Carson-Newman's only no-no of the season.
Meanwhile, Dean earned SAC Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of Feb. 24 after posting a season and career high nine strikeouts in a win over Fort Valley State.
"It's an honor," Dean said. "I never thought something like this would happen to me as a freshman. My goal was just to go out and do my best to help my team out in any possible way I could."
Dean has the seventh best batting average against in the SAC and has worked three complete-game shutouts this season.
On Thurs., April 30, the list will be trimmed down to the top 10 finalists, while the top 3 finalists will be selected and released on Thurs., May 13. The inaugural NFCA Division II National Freshman of the Year trophy will be presented during a live ceremony on May 20 prior to the opening of the Division II National Championship, which is being held in Oklahoma City, Okla. for the first time.
Dean and Kranz will be on display Saturday when the Eagles challenge Newberry at 2 p.m. for senior day at The Vick. Coverage of the contest will be available on the Eagle Sports Network with a free high definition stream at cneagles.com/live.
