Louisiana Ragin' Cajun shortstop DJ Sanders is on the short-list for the most prestigious honor in Division 1 softball.

A junior from Columbus, Mississippi, Sanders was named one of the 25 finalists for the 2017 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, USA Softball announced on Wednesday.

Currently hitting a .396 with 20 home runs and 50 runs batted in, Sanders leads the nation in homers, home runs per game (0.57), and slugging percentage (1.047), while ranking in the top five in the country in RBI's and RBI's per game (1.43).

Also a solid defensive player, Sanders, who is the only representative from the Sun Belt Conference on the list,  has committed only six errors over 97 chances this season.

The finalists for the Player of the Year is comprised of 23 seniors, eight juniors, two sophomores and one freshman. The student-athletes selected represent 23 NCAA Division I universities and 11 athletic conferences.

The list of finalists will be trimmed to ten on May 10, before the Top 3 Finalists being announced on May 24.

The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award winner be announced at the opening of the 2017 NCAA Women's College World Series (WCWS) in Oklahoma City.

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