Thayer Named All-American for Fourth Straight Season
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Lindsey Thayer of the nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College softball team was named All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association for the fourth time in her career last week as the NFCA honored the best and brightest Division III has to offer at the National Championship Banquet in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Thayer, who was named First-Team All-American for the third straight season, put together another remarkable season in 2018 after going 25-6 with a 1.23 earned run average. Over 199.0 innings, the senior allowed just 91 hits and held opposing hitters to a .135 batting average. Thayer finished the year with 26 complete games, 15 shutouts and 323 strikeouts overall.
On the national stage, Thayer was once again one of Division III's top arms as the Winthrop native led the NCAA in numerous categories including strikeouts (323), strikeouts per seven innings (11.4) and shutouts (15 – five more than the next closest player) while her 3.2 hits per seven innings ranked second among all Division III pitchers.
A four-time Empire 8 Pitcher of the Year and First-Team All-Conference selection, Thayer, who was among the final 10 players in consideration for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Player of the Year Award, will likely go down as perhaps the best pitcher to ever toe the rubber in Division III history. Over 140 career appearances, Thayer posted a 107-29 career record with 115 complete games and 64 total shutouts. Her 0.94 career earned run average is among the lowest in Division III history while her 1,540 career strikeouts is the most ever recorded by a Division III player.
Thayer, who was named All-Region for the fourth time in her career earlier this month, held her opposition to a .137 average over 889.1 career innings and always seemed to rise to the occasion. This year alone, she pitched four no-hitters including two perfect games. Thayer pitched a no-hitter in the NCAA Super Regional against Ithaca College to force a winner-take-all for a spot in the Division III Championship. Last season, she tossed three no-hitters including a five-day stretch where she hurled a no-no against Keuka with 18 strikeouts and then tied an NCAA Division III record with 21 strikeouts in a seven-inning game against Nazareth. She would go on to toss a perfect game and recorded her 1,000th career strikeout against Alfred. Furthermore, she was at her best when the lights were brightest as she recorded another no-hitter in the opening game of the 2017 Division III Championship in a win over Williams College.
During Thayer's four years in a Fisher uniform the Cardinals reached new heights. The team won two Empire 8 Championships and earned three berths into the NCAA Division III Softball Championship. Once there, Fisher claimed two Super Regional Championships and went on to finish third in 2016 and second overall in 2017. This season, the Cardinals posted a 35-10 record and came to within one game of advancing to their third straight Division III Championship.