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Bates a finalist for USA Softball Collegiate POTY
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Ceres High grad Sis Bates has been named a finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award for the second year in a row. Bates bats leadoff and plays shortstop for the University of Washington.

USA Softball announced its finalists for the Collegiate Player of the Year award on Aug. 24.

Ceres High School grad/University of Washington junior shortstop Sis Bates is in the running for the honor for the second year in a row.

The list of 25 finalists will be narrowed to 10 players, then three before USA Softball announces the winner of the award at the NCAA Division-I Women’s College World Series.

“I think my success can be attributed to having fun with my teammates,” Bates said. “I absolutely love my program and I could not imagine myself playing anywhere else.”

“I’m so proud of her,” said Callie Nunes, a finalist for the 2019 NFCA Division-II National Player and Pitcher of the Year award and Bates’ teammate at Ceres High. “It was so fun to play with Sis. She brought a different feel to the field. She’s fun to be around and watch because she enjoys playing the game. It’s really cool seeing her on TV. She has a ton of young kids that look up to her as a role model.”

A 2018 First Team All-American, Bates is leading the Pac-12 conference in hitting this year with a .525 batting average. 

Bates recently became just the sixth Husky player in program history to record 200-plus hits in their first three seasons.

She also reached 60 hits for the third consecutive year.

Bates made just one error through Washington’s first 46 games, the fewest by any shortstop in conference play.

She was voted Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore.

Bates was named to USA Softball’s Preseason Player of the Year Watch List before the 2019 campaign started.

She’s posted a batting average of .405 with three triples, nine doubles, 60 hits, 26 RBIs, 47 runs, 23 walks and nine stolen bases this season. She has slugging and on-base percentages of .507 and .486.

Bates ranks first on the team in triples, hits, runs, walks, stolen bases and on-base percentage, second in doubles, and third in RBIs and slugging percentage. 

“I love softball because of how competitive it is,” Bates said. 

Bates and the Huskies were idle this past week.

Second-place Washington (39-7, 14-4) will play first-place Arizona (40-8, 17-1) in Pac-12 play this Friday, Saturday and Sunday on the road.

The Huskies and Wildcats currently rank third and fourth, respectively, in the NCAA Women’s Softball Rating Percentage Index.