Lauren Haeger, the two-way threat for the defending NCAA Div. I champion Florida Gators, was named the 2015 USA Softball Player of the Year Tuesday night at a team-only banquet held prior to the start of this week’s Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The 2015 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Pitcher of the Year, Haeger, heading into play this week, has amassed a 28-1 record, a 1.24 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 186.1 inning in the circle.

At the plate, the senior also holds a .329 batting average, .653 slugging percentage and .468 on-base percentage.

Haeger was voted SEC Pitcher of the Week three times this season and was the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week in week two.

She joins a prestigious list of past winners:

• UCLA catcher Stacey Nuveman (2002)
• Texas pitcher Cat Osterman (2003, 2005 and 2006)
• Florida State pitcher Jessica Van der Linden (2004)
• Tennessee pitcher Monica Abbott (2007)
• Virginia Tech pitcher Angela Tincher (2008)
• Washington pitcher Danielle Lawrie (2009 and 2010)
• Stanford shortstop Ashley Hansen (2011)
• Oklahoma’s Keilani Ricketts (2012 and 2013)
• Florida State’s Lacey Waldrop (2014)

No. 1 Florida will face No. 8 seed Tennessee on Thursday starting at noon CST.

The Florida Gators have their sights set on being the first ‘back to back’ National Champions since Arizona in 2006 and 2007.

Five of the teams in the field hail from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) with Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU and Tennessee comprising the SEC Conference, while Oregon and UCLA represent the Pac-12 and Michigan is the sole representative of the Big Ten Conference.