DAHLONEGA – No. 9 University of North Georgia (UNG) softball freshman catcher Carleigh Knowles has been named to the 2025 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Player of the Year Watch list the association announced Thursday afternoon.

Knowles has been one of the best hitters in the Peach Belt Conference and the Southeast Region in her first season in Dahlonega.

The Hawkinsville, Ga. native is currently hitting .419 at the plate which leads the Nighthawks and ranks fourth in the conference. Her 12 home runs lead the league and are third-most in the country and her 40 RBI also lead the PBC while ranking top 10 nationally.

Both marks currently rank within the top 5 in the Southeast Region. Knowles' 12 homers this year are already the most in program history for a freshman since Ansley Williams smacked 13 bombs back in 2011.

The catcher ranks second in the region and seventh national with 91 total bases this season. With an .867 slugging percentage, she also ranks first in the conference, third in the region and 16th nationally in the category.

Knowles is coming off a two-homer day on Wednesday in which she hit a solo homer in each game of a doubleheader split with Alabama-Huntsville.

Knowles arrived in Dahlonega this year after completing a remarkable career at The Westfield School in Hawkinsville, Ga. She played four seasons with the Hornets, winning a state championship each year. 

The Nighthawks and their standout catcher will take the field again on Monday in a ranked matchup at home against No. 5 Auburn-Montgomery. First pitch from Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park on Monday, March 31 is set for 3 p.m.