Softball

Neff, Nunes Lead Selections To Softball All-PacWest Team

2019 ALL-PACWEST SOFTBALL TEAM

IRVINE, Calif.
– Biola’s Kayla Neff is the PacWest Player of the Year and Concordia’s Callie Nunes repeated as the PacWest Pitcher of the Year as voted on by the PacWest coaches to highlight the selections to the All-PacWest team.
 
Concordia head coach Crystal Rosenthal was named the PacWest Coach of the Year, Sydney Sprinkle is the PacWest Freshman of the Year and Mackenzie Graham is the PacWest Co-Defensive Player of the Year to give Concordia four special honors. Neff is joined on the list of special award winners by her teammate Missy Poti, who is the other Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Rayla Jacobs-Kea earned an award for Hawai`i Hilo after being voted the PacWest Newcomer of the Year.
 
Nunes is the winningest pitcher in the nation this year as she led Concordia to a second-consecutive PacWest title. The sophomore has a 31-4 record with a 1.10 ERA this season. She has struck out 241 batters in 191.2 innings pitched with three no-hitters. One of her best performances of the season came against Chaminade, when Nunes allowed just one run on two hits as she struck out a season-high 14 batters in only six innings.
 
Neff led the PacWest in batting average at .425 as she helped Biola finish in fourth place in the PacWest standings and qualify for the NCCAA Championships. Six of Neff’s 21 extra-base hits on the season were home runs for a .693 slugging percentage to go along with a PacWest-leading .482 on-base percentage. The junior’s best game came against Hawai`i Hilo when she went 3 for 4 with five RBIs and finished a triple away from the cycle.
 
Rosenthal was honored by her peers as the PacWest Coach of the Year after leading the Eagles as they defended their PacWest title. Concordia won 30 conference games, becoming the second team in conference history to reach the milestone. The Eagles finished the regular season as the top team in the NCAA West Region and will host the opening rounds of the NCAA West Regional as the No. 1 seed.
 
Poti and Graham share recognition as the PacWest Co-Defensive Players of the Year. Graham is the second-team All-PacWest catcher for Concordia, catching for one of the top pitching staffs in the nation. Poti is the second-team first baseman for Biola, and the senior also played third base as the Eagles’ leader in the field.
 
Jacobs-Kea is the PacWest Newcomer of the Year after coming into the Hawai`i Hilo program to help the Vulcans finish the conference in second place in the standings. She had nine extra-base hits and 23 RBIs as she ranked second on the team in batting average.
 
Sprinkle blasted nine home runs on the season, which was the second-most in the conference as she earned first-team honors and Freshman of the Year recognition. The first baseman finished the year with a team-high .399 batting average for Concordia with a .629 slugging percentage.
 
2019 ALL-PACWEST SOFTBALL AWARDS
Player of the Year Kayla Neff Biola
Pitcher of the Year Callie Nunes Concordia
Defensive Player of the Year Mackenzie Graham
Missy Poti
Concordia
Biola
Newcomer of the Year Rayla Jacobs-Kea Hawai`i Hilo
Freshman of the Year Sydney Sprinkle Concordia
Coach of the Year Crystal Rosenthal Concordia
 
2019 ALL-PACWEST SOFTBALL TEAM
Name School Pos. Class B/T Hometown/High School
FIRST TEAM
Kayla Neff * Biola C Jr. R/R Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison
Sydney Sprinkle Concordia 1B Fr. R/R Palm Desert, Calif./Palm Desert
McKinsey Thorpe Concordia 2B Jr. L/R San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty
Amanda Gjertsen * Concordia 3B Jr. R/R Mission Viejo, Calif./LMU
Cayla Broussard * Azusa Pacific SS Sr. L/R Clovis, Calif./Clovis
Cienna Curran * Hawai`i Pacific OF So. L/L Ewa Beach, Hawaii/Campbell
Megan Massa Concordia OF Fr. L/R Fairfield, Calif./Rodriguez
McKenzie Schumacher * Dominican OF Jr. L/R Merced, Calif./El Capitan
Callie Nunes * Concordia P So. R/R Modesto, Calif./Ceres
Jordan Curry Hawai`i Pacific P Sr. R/R Farmington, N.M./Farmington
Hailey Boyett Biola DP Sr. R/R San Diego/Horizon Christian Academy
Becca Jewett Azusa Pacific UT So. R/R Woodinville, Wash./Bellevue Christian
SECOND TEAM
Mackenzie Graham Concordia C Jr. R/R Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza
Missy Poti Biola 1B Sr. R/R Fullerton, Calif./Fullerton
Amanda Woods * Azusa Pacific 2B So. R/R Glendora, Calif./Glendora
Sierra Dias Hawai`i Pacific 3B Jr. L/R Mililani, Hawai`i/Bishop Gorman
Kiarra Lincoln * Hawai`i Hilo SS So. R/R Keaau, Hawai`i/Kamehameha
Melanie Abzun Azusa Pacific OF Sr. R/R Lake View Terrace, Calif./Crescenta Valley
Lauren Lopez Concordia OF So. L/L San Jose, Calif./Arch Bishop Mitty
Noel Saunders Hawai`i Pacific OF Fr. L/R Pearl City, Hawai`i/Pearl City
Kat Ung * Azusa Pacific P Jr. L/L Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union
Paige Austin * Biola P So. R/R Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos
Sydni Dix Concordia DP So. L/R McMinnville, Ore./McMinnville
Malia Ka`akimaka-Moisa Chaminade UT So. R/R Ewa Beach, Hawai`i/Campbell
THIRD TEAM
Lauryn Henderson Academy of Art C So. R/R Gilbert, Ariz./Campo Verde
Emily Moran Azusa Pacific 1B Jr. R/R Folsom, Calif./Vista del Lago
Brinell Kaleikini * Hawai`i Hilo 2B Jr. R/R Honolulu/Moanalua
Ruth Munoz Biola 3B So. L/R Whittier, Calif./Diamond Bar
Sarah Kretschmar Concordia SS Jr. R/R Diamond Bar, Calif./Diamond Ranch
Rayla Jacobs-Kea Hawai`i Hilo OF So. L/R Waianae, Hawai`i/Midland College
Michelle Lieng Concordia OF Jr. R/R Alhambra, Calif./Maranatha
Areana Ramos * Biola OF Sr. R/R Ontario, Calif./Ontario Christian
Madelyn Stockslager Chaminade P So. R/R Torrance, Calif./South
Erika Morris Concordia P Fr. R/R Laguna Hills, Calif./Laguna Hills
Isabelle Mejia Hawai`i Hilo DP Sr. R/R Arcadia, Calif./Eastern Arizona College
Haighley Kissee Holy Names UT So. R/R Manteca, Calif./Manteca
* - Indicates previous All-PacWest selections