Ottumwa, IA – Freshman Sydney Anderson (Elkhart, IA/North Polk) of the Indian Hills Softball team has been named the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XI DI Softball Offensive Player of the Year. Anderson was also named to the NJCAA All-Region XI First-Team, announced on Wednesday by the conference office.

Anderson set a new standard at the plate for the Warriors during her freshman campaign. Anderson set the new all-time single season home run record, a mark that currently sits at 31 with at least two more games to play with the upcoming NJCAA Midwest District Tournament this weekend. Anderson is currently tied for most home runs in the nation and are the most hit in a single season in the NJCAA since 2018.

The freshman becomes the first NJCAA Region XI DI Softball Offensive Player of the Year for the Warriors since Emily Brown in 2016.

Anderson currently holds a .489 batting average which would rank eighth in program history. Anderson's 1.129 slugging percentage is currently good enough for second in school history, only behind current teammate Destiny Lewis, the NJCAA Region XI DI Softball Player of the Year. Anderson also holds a top-10 mark in school history in on base percentage with her current mark of .536. Anderson is tied for the team lead with Lewis at 88 RBI, the fifth-most in school history.

A force at the plate, Anderson has been named the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Player of the Week four times this year and has twice been named the NJCAA National Player of the Week.  

Anderson has posted 30 multi-hit games on the year and six games with two home runs in a single contest. Anderson held a team-best 21-game hit streak on the year and has reached base in 50 of the team's 54 games on the year.

Along with Anderson's honor, the Warriors also took home the Player of the Year (Destiny Lewis), Pitcher of the Year (Madie Anderson), and Coach of the Year in Lindsay Diehl.

To read more about Destiny Lewis being named Player of the Year, visit: LEWIS NAMED REGION XI PLAYER OF THE YEAR

To read more about Madie Anderson being named Pitcher of the Year, visit: MADIE ANDERSON NAMED PITCHER OF THE YEAR

To read more about Lindsay Diehl being named Coach of the Year, visit: DIEHL NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR

To read more about the NJCAA All-Region XI selections, visit: WARRIORS LAND 12 ON ALL-REGION TEAM

Anderson and the Warriors are set to host the NJCAA Midwest District Tournament at R.L. Hellyer Field on May 14 against Crowder College (MO). The best-of-three series gets underway at 2:00 PM Saturday with a doubleheader and an if necessary game on Sunday, May 15.