Former Ankeny softball standout Eva Fulk, a sophomore outfielder at Indian Hills Community College, has been named the 2024 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 11 DI Softball Offensive Player of the Year, announced by the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) on Wednesday.
Fulk, who was named to the NJCAA All-Region 11 first team for the second consecutive year, becomes just the second individual in school history to be named the NJCAA Region 11 Offensive Player of the Year, joining former teammate and two-time winner Sydney Anderson (2022, 2023).
“Eva has evolved as a player and brought a lot of leadership this season,” said head coach Tarah Rayos. “She had a standout year and was a force to be reckoned with at the plate. Being named Offensive Player of the Year is well deserved. Eva is an incredible person and student-athlete, and we cannot wait to see her excel at the next level. Eva has left a lasting impression on this program and this sophomore class has set the tone.”
After a breakout freshman campaign in 2023, Fulk upped her efforts as a sophomore in 2024 to produce career-high numbers in batting average (.438), on-base percentage (.516), slugging percentage( .577), runs scored (73), hits (85), doubles (14), triples (5) and RBIs (35).
In her sophomore season, Fulk was twice named the ICCAC DI Softball Player of the Week while also collecting NJCAA DI Softball National Player of the Week honors on March 27.
Fulk strung together a season-best 12-game hitting streak throughout the month of March and finished her Indian Hills career on a 10-game hitting streak, batting .469 over the final 10 contests. Fulk totaled 30 multi-hit games on the year, including nine games with three hits.
On the base paths, Fulk continued to be a constant threat for the Warriors in 2024. The sophomore stole 26 bases this season to give Fulk 60 career swipes, tied for fourth-most in school history. Fulk also ranks eighth in the school history 32 stolen bases in a single season.
For her career at Indian Hills, Fulk totaled 138 hits and 116 runs scored. She becomes just the fifth player in school history to record at least 100 career hits, 100 career runs and 60 career stolen bases.