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Camille Hamilton Freshman Top 25

Softball Brandon Sans

NFCA Names Hamilton to Freshman Top 25 List

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – UNCW pitcher Camille Hamilton's sensational rookie campaign has garnered national recognition as the right-hander was named to the 2026 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25 list on Thursday afternoon.

This year's finalists hail from 22 different universities and represent 11 NCAA Division I conferences from across the nation. Hamilton and Charleston's Bronwyn Conway represent the Coastal Athletic Association's lone selections.

Hamilton has anchored one of the top pitching staffs in the country with a 12-3 record to go with a CAA-leading 1.49 ERA and microscopic 0.90 WHIP in 26 appearances (11 starts). The Garner, N.C., native has limited opponents to a .201 batting average while striking out 84 against 16 walks across 94 innings.

A four-time CAA Weekly honoree (two each as Pitcher and Rookie of the Week), Hamilton also received national attention after tossing the first recorded perfect game in UNCW's 42-year softball history at North Carolina A&T on Mar. 13, 2026, to earn D1 Softball Mid-Major Freshman of the Week.

Hamilton threw a then-career-high six innings with a personal best 11 strikeouts on 69 pitches, with no ball leaving the infield. The feat was one of five complete games and three shutouts tossed by the first-year phenom, who also has fashioned three saves.

The 5-9 freshman has tossed six or more innings five times, including a career-high nine-inning, one-run effort in an Apr. 10 win vs. Towson in which Hamilton needed only 103 pitches to beat the Tigers.

UNCW's pitching staff ranks among the national leaders in several categories, including ERA (18th – 2.75), WHIP (15th – 1.22), shutouts (T-5th – 14), hits allowed per seven innings (16th – 6.08) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (27th – 2.26), all at the top of the CAA, in addition to team strikeouts per seven innings (5.52).

Hamilton, who also has driven in two runs across 13 plate appearances, is the second Seahawk to earn NFCA Freshman Top 25 honors after Emily Winstead in 2022.

On May 7, the list will be trimmed to the top 10 and the three finalists will be released on May 20. The winner will be revealed on May 26.

ABOUT THE NFCA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
The list of 25 was selected by the NFCA. The top 10, top three and winner are voted by the NFCA Division I All-America Committee. To be eligible, student-athletes must be nominated by their member head coach and in their first year of NCAA Division I collegiate competition as a true freshman or redshirt freshman. Nominated student-athletes remain in consideration for Top-10 selection.

The NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award was created in 2014 to honor outstanding athletic achievement among Division I freshmen softball student-athletes. The NFCA awards Freshman of the Year plaudits to a student-athlete from NCAA DI, NCAA DII, NCAA DIII and NAIA. For more information about all NFCA Awards, visit nfca.org.
 
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Players Mentioned

Camille Hamilton

#19 Camille Hamilton

P/UTIL
5' 9"
Freshman
L/R

Players Mentioned

Camille Hamilton

#19 Camille Hamilton

5' 9"
Freshman
L/R
P/UTIL