LOUISVILLE, Ky.— Colorado Mesa University redshirt sophomore Ellie Smith was named as a finalist for the 2021 Schutt Sport/NFCA Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Year awards, it was announced this week.  Smith, a utility player and pitcher, hails from Riverside, California and is the only player from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference to be selected to the elite list of 30 top student-athletes from the country.
 
The winners will be announced following the conclusion of the 2021 season on June 3.  The top 10 finalists will be announced on May 18.
 
Smith has put together a strong campaign both at the plate and inside the circle, helping lead the Mavericks to a 34-2 record, the best in Division II.  She leads the country with 20 doubles and 70 RBIs and stands atop the RMAC and fifth nationally with 16 home runs.  She also leads the RMAC in extra-base hits and is slugging at a 1.008 clip, the sixth best in the country, which is just ahead of the pace to set the CMU single-season record, which is currently held by Mekayla Kovac since 2014 at 1.000.
 
From inside the circle, Smith is a perfect 12-0 and has a 1.96 ERA to rank second in the RMAC.  She has yet to concede a home run in 68 innings of work and is the RMAC's only undefeated pitcher.
 
She was named as the Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week last week and has earned the RMAC Player of the Week twice while also picking up a RMAC Pitcher of the Week accolade.
 
As a team, the Mavericks led the country in scoring with 353 runs, an average of 9.81 per game, and batting average at .389.
 
With a week to go in the regular season, they have already sealed up their fifth consecutive RMAC title and will host the RMAC Tournament on May 13-15 after playing at Fort Lewis this Friday and Saturday.