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CSU BAKERSFIELD FALLS TO UCLA, FRESNO STATE AT LOS ANGELES REGIONAL
CSU Bakersfield fell 7-0 to No. 13 UCLA in its first game of the Los Angeles Regional and ended its season with an 8-5 loss to Fresno State in its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament at the Division I level. In the loss to UCLA, the Roadrunners held the Bruins scoreless through four innings as Amber Mills retired the first eight batters she faced before issuing a walk and giving up her first hit in the fourth inning. CSUB was no-hit for the first time since May 4, 2013, also against UCLA. Against the Bulldogs, CSUB shortstop Alex Simmons had a game-high three hits. She finished the game 3-for-4 with one run scored and two RBIs. The Roadrunners out-hit the Bulldogs 7-6, but committed a season-high five errors that led to two unearned runs in the loss.
SIX WAC PLAYERS NAMED TO NFCA ALL-REGION TEAMS
Six WAC softball players were named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I All-Region teams. Taylor Nowlin and Camree Wartman of Grand Canyon and Missouri-Kansas City's Katie Kelley were second team selections in their respective regions, while Fiana Finau and Emma Adams of NM State and Grand Canyon's Nicole Newbury were each named to the third team.
The WAC Pitcher of the Year, Nowlin finished her junior year with a 2.31 ERA and 132 strikeouts through 160.2 innings pitched. She posted a WAC-best .204 opponent batting average and led the league with 19 wins. Nowlin produced two no-hitters on the season and combined for a third, and threw five one-hitters.
Wartman, a junior second baseman, led the WAC in batting average (.392) and doubles (17), ranked second in runs (49) and total bases (106), and third in slugging percentage (.620) and hits (68). She was a first team All-WAC honoree.
A senior pitcher/utility player, Kelley was named first team All-WAC and to the WAC All-Tournament Team. She led the WAC in RBIs (51), ranked fifth in slugging percentage (.591) and eighth in doubles (12). As a pitcher, she was third in the WAC in strikeouts (113), and fourth in both opponent batting average (.269) and innings pitched (145.0)
The WAC Player of the Year, Finau ranked second in the conference in slugging percentage (.625), on-base percentage (.465) and RBIs (50), and tied for second in home runs (9). She was the NFCA National Player of the Week for March 7-13.
A senior third baseman, Adams was named to the WAC All-Tournament Team. She ranked fourth in the WAC in RBIs (42), sixth in both batting average (.371) and doubles (13), and seventh in both on-base percentage (.438) and hits (62).
A second team All-WAC selection, Newbury ranked second in the league in fielding double plays (21), and fifth in batting average (.373), hits (63) and putouts (305). She tallied 14 multi-hit contests and went 23 straight contests without being struck out.
CSU BAKERSFIELD WINS WAC TOURNAMENT
With two outs and a 3-2 count, CSU Bakersfield catcher Jo Larios hit her first career homer, a solo shot to left center in the top of the seventh inning, to lead the Roadrunners to their first-ever WAC Tournament title with a 1-0 win over top-seeded NM State in Seattle. Roadrunner center fielder Sydney Raeber made a pair of diving catches in the second inning en route to tournament MVP honors. She also made three relief appearances during the tournament, allowing just three hits over 4.0 innings, picking up two saves. CSUB starter Amber Mills earned the complete-game shutout, just the second shutout of the year for the Roadrunners. She was named to the all-tournament team along with Larios.
All-Tournament Team
Emma Adams, NM State
Karysta Donisthorpe, NM State
Katie Kelley, Missouri-Kansas City
Jo Larios, CSU Bakersfield
Amber Mills, CSU Bakersfield
Kaylee Ree, Seattle U
Tatum Reedy, NM State
Rachel Rodriguez, NM State
Breanna Timmons, Seattle U
Brittney Vansway, Utah Valley
MVP: Sydney Raeber, CSU Bakersfield
ALL-WAC TEAMS
NM State's Fiana Finau was named WAC Player of the Year, while Grand Canyon's Taylor Nowlin was named WAC Pitcher of the Year. Meanwhile, NM State's Kelsey Horton was named WAC Freshman of the Year and the Aggies' Kathy Rodolph was named WAC Coach of the Year.
Finau, a senior outfielder from Chula Vista, Calif., earned WAC Player of the Year honors after posting a .412 batting average, .647 slugging percentage and .571 on-base percentage in WAC play. She finished with 16 runs, 11 RBIs, three stolen bases and 14 walks in 15 conference games. Finau was named WAC Hitter of the Week once during the season.
Nowlin, a junior left-hander from Peoria, Ariz., earned WAC Pitcher of the Year honors after posting a 7-2 mark with one save in WAC games. During league play, she led the league in wins (7), strikeouts (35) and games started (10), ranked second in innings pitched (59.1), and fourth in opponent batting average (.232) and ERA (2.83). Nowlin was named WAC Pitcher of the Week three times this season.
Horton, a first baseman from San Clemente, Calif., led the league in WAC games in runs scored (16), ranked second in home runs (3), fourth in on-base percentage (.482), fifth in total bases (27), and 10th in batting average (.356) and slugging percentage (.600). She was selected to the Schutt Sport/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25 list and ranks in the top 50 nationally in home runs and runs per game.
In her 16th season at NM State, Rodolph earned Coach of the Year honors for the second year in a row and third time in her career after leading the Aggies to their second-consecutive WAC regular-season title. In WAC play, her team went 14-1 and led the conference in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs, hits, RBIs, home runs, total bases, walks, stolen bases, ERA, opponent batting average, strikeouts and fielding percentage.
All-WAC First Team
Julea Cavazos, CSU Bakersfield
Karysta Donisthorpe, NM State
Fiana Finau, NM State
Isabella Geronimo, Seattle U
Kelsey Horton, NM State
Katie Kelley, Missouri-Kansas City
Makayla McAdams, NM State
Taylor Nowlin, Grand Canyon
Brooke Parker, Missouri-Kansas City
Sydney Raeber, CSU Bakersfield
Bri Sims, Missouri-Kansas City
Brittney Vansway, Utah Valley
Camree Wartman, Grand Canyon
All-WAC Second Team
Paige Bouska, Seattle U
Briielle Breland, Grand Canyon
Morgan Byrn, Missouri-Kansas City
Victoria Castro, NM State
Kelsey Goodwin, Missouri-Kansas City
Corrin Green, NM State
Amber Grove, Missouri-Kansas City
Chris Hipa, CSU Bakersfield
Nicole Newbury, Grand Canyon
Tatum Reedy, NM State
Rachel Rodriguez, NM State
Breezy Roth, Utah Valley
Shea Smith, Grand Canyon
NM STATE'S HORTON NFCA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR TOP 10 FINALIST
WAC Freshman of the Year Kelsey Horton of NM State has been selected as a Top 10 finalist for Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I National Freshman of the Year. This is the first time in program history an Aggie has been chosen as a Top 10 finalist for National Freshman of the Year. The first team All-WAC honoree leads the WAC in hits (68), runs (56), home runs (13), slugging percentage (.667), total bases (120), putouts (345) and fielding double plays (22). The top three finalists will be announced on Wednesday, May 25, and the winner will be announced on Tuesday, May 31.
FOUR PLAYERS BREAK INTO WAC CAREER TOP 10
Four WAC players broke into the all-time career top 10 in WAC history. Missouri-Kansas City's Brooke Parker ranks sixth all-time in stolen bases (82) with just three years of her career played in the WAC. Her career total of 100 would place her third in WAC history had she played all four years in the WAC. CSU Bakersfield's Sydney Raeber is tied for sixth all-time in WAC history in saves (9). Meanwhile, NM State's Emma Adams and Fiana Finau are tied for seventh in league history in doubles (46) and home runs (47), respectively.
NM STATE WINS SECOND-STRAIGHT WAC REGULAR-SEASON TITLE
With a series sweep of Missouri-Kansas City, NM State closed out WAC play with a 14-1 mark to claim its second consecutive WAC regular-season title. The Aggies earned the top seed in the WAC Tournament, held at Logan Field in Seattle.
NM STATE BREAKS PROGRAM STOLEN BASES RECORD
With four stolen bases at New Mexico on May 4, NM State moved its season total to 97 to surpass the program record of 96 set in 1998. The Aggies finished the season one shy of the all-time WAC record of 105.
UMKC'S KELLEY BECOMES ALL-TIME PROGRAM DOUBLES LEADER
On April 30 against NM State, Missouri-Kansas City senior Katie Kelley became the all-time program leader in doubles and closed out her career with 49. She also ranks first in home runs (41) and RBIs (172), second in hits (208), tied for second in wins (33), third in strikeouts (342) and appearances (112), fifth in batting average (.329), runs (95), innings pitched (486.2), strikeouts per seven innings (5.03) and complete games (40), sixth games started (65), tied for sixth in at-bats (633), tied for seventh in games played (206) and ninth in ERA (3.73).
TWO PLAYERS RANK IN TOP IN WAC SINGLE-SEASON RECORD BOOKS
Missouri-Kansas City's Kelsey Goodwin finished WAC play averaging 0.50 doubles per game, good for a tie for fourth place in the WAC single-season record books for WAC games only. In addition, NM State's Victoria Castro tied for fifth in triples per game (0.20).
GCU CANYON POSTS 10 OR MORE HITS IN NINE OF 15 WAC GAMES
Grand Canyon tallied 10 or more hits in nine of its 15 WAC games this season, including 14 in the series finale at Utah Valley. The Lopes had 10 or more hits in 28 of 50 games this season and posted double-digit hits in four straight contests three different times.
UMKC'S PARKER CLOSES OUT CAREER ON SEVERAL CHARTS
Missouri-Kansas City senior Brooke Parker recently became the all-time leader in runs scored, finishing her career with 146. She also ranks first all-time in stolen bases (100), fifth in walks (61), tied for fifth in triples (7), eighth in hits (158), 10th in batting average (.299), and tied for 10th in at-bats (528).
EIGHTEEN OF NM STATE'S VICTORIES BY RUN RULE
Eighteen of NM State's 38 victories this season came by run rule. The Aggies' largest margin of victory was 12 runs (twice), with one win by 11 runs, seven victories by 10 runs, three nine-run wins and seven games won by eight runs. The team also posted 11 shutouts this season.
CSUB'S MILLS SURPASSES 300 INNINGS, 100 STRIKEOUTS
CSU Bakersfield senior Amber Mills recently surpassed 300.0 innings pitched on her career and has now thrown 323.2 innings, good for third place in CSUB's Division I era (since 2008) She also ranks third in appearances (89), games started (50) and opponent batting average (.292), fourth in ERA (3.65) and fifth in strikeouts (110).
UVU'S MOORE BECOMES UVU DIVISION I LEADER IN APPEARANCES
With an appearance against in-state foe Weber State on April 5, Utah Valley junior Bailey Moore became the all-time program leader in career appearances. Moore has now logged 127 appearances in the circle for UVU, passing Wolverine great Josi Summers' previous record of 107.
AGGIE COACH RODOLPH PICKS UP 400TH WIN AT NM STATE
NM State head coach Kathy Rodolph notched her 400th victory at the helm of the program on April 23. In her 13th season at the school and 15th overall as a four-year college coach, Rodolph has a 407-341 (.544) school record and a 476-375 (.559) overall mark.
CSUB'S SIMMONS SETS PROGRAM SEASON STEALS RECORD
On April 15, CSU Bakersfield senior Alex Simmons set the program record for steals in a season and now has 15. In just two seasons, the shortstop ranks second in CSUB Division I career history with 25, eight shy of the record. Fellow senior Sydney Raeber is close behind in third with 21.
NM STATE'S ADAMS BREAKS PROGRAM DOUBLES RECORD
NM State senior Emma Adams tied the program record for career doubles with her 42nd at UTEP on April 19. She then broke the record in game two of the series against CSU Bakersfield on April 23, passing Kristi Randall (2006-09). Adams closed out her career with 46 doubles.
CSUB'S CARDOZA BECOMES PROGRAM LEADER IN SACRIFICE HITS
In the first game of the series against Seattle U on April 15, CSU Bakersfield redshirt senior Adrianna Cardoza became CSUB's Division I career leader in sacrifice hits with 23.
UMKC'S SMITH NEAL PICKS UP 200TH CAREER WIN
With her team's 9-6 win over Utah Valley on April 16, Missouri-Kansas City head coach Meredith Smith Neal notched her 200th career victory. In her 10th season at the helm, Smith Neal has a 206-298 (.409) record.
CSU BAKERSFIELD EARNS FIRST-EVER WAC SERIES SWEEP
In its series against Seattle U, CSU Bakersfield earned its first-ever WAC series sweep since joining the conference in 2014. The ‘Runners won 7-2 in game one, 3-2 in nine innings in game two and a walk off in game three.
UVU'S ROTH BECOMES PROGRAM LEADER IN HIT BY PITCH
After getting hit by a pitch against Idaho State on April 12, Utah Valley outfielder Breezy Roth became Utah Valley's all-time leader in getting hit by the pitch and has now been plunked 16 times on her career. Roth, who is just a sophomore, broke Meghan Yocom's (2008-2011) previous record of 12.
GRAND CANYON'S OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
Grand Canyon outscored its opponents 314 to 197 this season. The Lopes' largest margin of victory was 18 runs, with one 10-run victory, one nine-run win and eight victories by eight runs. Grand Canyon also posted 10 shutouts and 11 run-rule victories.
CSUB'S RAEBER LEAVING MARK IN RECORD BOOKS
CSU Bakersfield senior Sydney Raeber ranks in the Top 5 in several program Division I records. Raeber is first in saves (9), second in doubles (31), third in games played (197), games started (197), hits (166) and stolen bases (21), tied for third in hit by pitch (17), fourth in at-bats (564), sacrifice hits (20), total bases (206) and fifth in RBIs (71).
UMKC SCORES ITS MOST RUNS EVER AGAINST OKLAHOMA
On March 26, Missouri-Kansas City scored the most runs in a game against Oklahoma in the history of the series, plating four runs in the series finale at the ASA Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City. All three senior captains - Alexandra Friloux, Katie Kelley and Brooke Parker - drove in a run in the 8-4 loss, with Friloux driving in two in her first appearance in nearly a month.
CSUB HAS EIGHT-RUN INNING FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2012
CSU Bakersfield scored a season-high 10 runs against Santa Clara on March 20, with the bulk its runs coming in an eight-run third inning. It was the most runs in an inning for CSUB since the team scored eight in an inning on Maine in 2012.
UVU'S SMITH SETS PROGRAM STEALS RECORD
With her fourth stolen base of the season in the third inning of the Mary Nutter Classic finale against Binghamton on Feb. 21, Utah Valley senior Morgan Smith became the program's all-time leader in stolen bases with 41. Smith, who also holds the school record for all-time triples with 11, passed Meghan Yocom's (2008-2011) previous UVU record of 40. Smith closed out her career 61-of-67 in stolen bases.
GCU'S NOWLIN HAS TWO NO-HITTERS, COMBINES FOR THIRD
Grand Canyon's Taylor Nowlin pitched her second no-hitter of the season on Feb. 19 against Utah State, only allowing only one base runner via a walk and striking out five. The junior also threw a no-hitter in a five-inning win over Loyola Marymount on Feb. 14 and combined with Bailey Bergman to no-hit UMBC in the season opener on Feb. 12.
NM State's Finau Named NFCA Player of the Week
NM State's Fiana Finau garnered Louisville/Slugger National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I Player of the Week honors for March 7-13. Finau hit .579 (11-for-19) with three doubles, three home runs and 13 RBIs over a six-game stretch last week. The Chula Vista, Calif., native slugged 1.211, registered a .600 on-base percentage and scored five runs.
CSUB'S RAEBER TIES PROGRAM DIVISION I STRIKEOUT RECORD
CSU Bakersfield senior Sydney Raeber recorded a program Division I single-game-tying 10 strikeouts in a complete-game victory over UC Davis on Valentine's Day. She only walked two batters.
NMSU'S HORTON HITS THREE HOMERS IN FIRST FOUR AT BATS
NM State freshman Kelsey Horton opened her career as an Aggie with three home runs in her first four at-bats. Her first at-bat was a grand slam in the bottom of a nine-run first inning for the Aggies on Feb. 12.