Senior right-hander Ashley DeBuhr was one of 50 players named to the preseason watch list for the sixth annual USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year award, the Amateur Softball Association announced on Tuesday.

The 2007 preseason watch list is comprised of 50 players representing 33 schools and 11 conferences. The ASA will announce the 25 finalists on April 4. A list of the 10 finalists will then be released on May 9, with the final three finalists announced on May 23. The National Player of the Year will be selected prior to the start of the 2007 Women’s College World Series.

DeBuhr is the first Husker to appear on the preseason watch list since Peaches James and Nicole Trimboli in 2004. A native of Beatrice, DeBuhr is poised to make her last season as a Husker her best.

A second-team All-Big 12 and all-region selection in 2005, DeBuhr was dominant in 2006, earning first-team All-Big 12 and All-Midwest region honors. Last season, DeBuhr posted career-best numbers, including a 26-10 record with a 1.50 ERA.

DeBuhr also posted 304 strikeouts after striking out 335 in her junior year. DeBuhr’s back-to-back 300-strikeout seasons are a first in school history, as only one other player in NU history has struck out 300 batters in a season (All-American Peaches James’ school-record 394 strikeouts in 2004).

While ranking among the league leaders in nearly every category, DeBuhr was also among the nation’s best in several pitching categories, including 23rd in wins, 22nd in strikeouts per seven innings and 44th in ERA.

One of only three pitchers in school history to toss a perfect game, DeBuhr finds herself in the top 10 of six different Nebraska career pitching records entering her final year. DeBuhr has a chance to enter the top three in several categories, including strikeouts, where DeBuhr needs 278 strikeouts to surpass James as the Huskers’ all-time strikeout leader.

In addition to her dominance in the circle, DeBuhr emerged late last season as a threat in the batter’s box. She finished the season with a .267 average, one home run and eight RBIs in only 30 at bats. Building off of last season’s finish, DeBuhr is expected to see many more at bats while enjoying a more prominent role in the Husker offense in 2007.

DeBuhr and her teammates open the 2007 season on Feb. 8 with a pair of games against Auburn and Hawaii at the Paradise Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.