Mayhew, Bevans Earn NFCA Player of the Year Honors

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Sophomores DoniRae Mayhew and Monika Bevans will end their decorated careers for the Kirkwood softball program with a couple of prestigious awards. Mayhew was announced as the Schutt Sports/NFCA National Player of the Year while Bevans was named the Diamond Sports/NFCA Catcher of the Year, as released today by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).

The awards are voted on by the members of the NFCA's Junior College All-American and Coaching Staff of the Committees, which a comprised of NJCAA I, II & III, Cal JC and NWAC.

Mayhew, a pitcher/infielder and Bettendorf native, was a 2018 NFCA First Team All-American. Mayhew was an offensive force in NJCAA DII, while also contributing to the Kirkwood pitching staff. The NJCAA DII home run champion, clocked 30 long balls and also topped the national charts with 90 RBI and 191 total bases. She ranked second with a 1.079 slugging percentage and 82 runs scored. Mayhew, who garnered Iowa Community College Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors, batted .446 with 79 hits, 18 doubles, 29 walks and a .538 on-base percentage.

In the circle, Mayhew, a University of Iowa commit, was 20-3 with a staff-best 2.08 ERA and four shutouts. She struck out 127 and allowed just 11 extra-base hits in 148 innings of work. Her 20 victories were 10th-best in NJCAA DII.

Mayhew is the latest recipient of the National Player of the Year award and the third straight for Kirkwood softball. Mayhew follows in the footsteps of current Iowa State Cyclone and former Eagle, Taylor Nearad, who won the award in 2016 and then again in 2017.

Bevans, a catcher hailing from Solon, finished second in NJCAA DII with 79 RBI, fifth in home runs (18), seventh in hits (86) and 10th in slugging percentage (.948).

Bevans' Catcher of the Year award is also the softball program's second straight year claiming the award after current North Dakota State Bison and former Eagle, Maddie Hansen, won the award last year.