SALT LAKE CITY – BYU softball player Libby Sugg was awarded the Female Collegiate Athlete of the Year award from the MS Society at the Dinner of Champions at Rice Eccles Stadium on Wednesday night.
"Libby is very deserving of this award," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. "She is an extremely hard worker and a perfectionist in her game as well as being a team player. She checks all the boxes to be the recipient of this award."
The Dinner of Champions is the National MS Society's premier gala event and pays tribute to the vast network of generous corporations, organizations and volunteer leaders who are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of people living with MS.
As a junior, Sugg was a standout player for the BYU softball team during the 2018 season, being named a 2018 NFCA Division I Third Team All-American. The Tennessee native has led the BYU softball team in home runs and RBI since her freshman year.
Named a team captain as a junior, she led the team in several categories: batting average (.414), RBI (67), hits (65), doubles (13), home runs (11), slugging percentage (.707) and on-base percentage (.500).
Named 2018 All-West Coast Conference First Team, she went a perfect 5-for-5 in two games on the same day against No. 25 Georgia and Nebraska. Among all juniors in BYU program history, Sugg finished the season ranked No. 1 in RBI, No. 3 in slugging percentage and on-base percentage, and No. 5 in hits, batting average and doubles.
In addition to her standout junior season stats, Sugg moved up in the BYU all-time record books, reaching No. 2 in on-base percentage (.455) and No. 3 in career slugging percentage (.700).
Named WCC Player of the Week three times, Sugg started all 58 games during her 2018 campaign and was named to the WCC All-Academic Team. After BYU made a run in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, Sugg was named to the Eugene All-Region Team and the WCC Commissioner’s Bronze Honor Roll.