All-Region and Pac-12 Awards Announced
May 19, 2016 | Softball
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Thursday was awards day for the Bruins, as a total of six players were named to the NFCA All-West Region teams, while seven were recognized on the All-Pac-12 squads.
Senior outfielder Allexis Bennett was named First Team All-Region and All-Pac-12, as well as the regular-season batting champion and Pac-12 All-Defensive for the second year in a row. Joining Bennett on the list of those who were named both First Team All-Region and All-Pac-12 were senior third baseman Mysha Sataraka, junior shortstop Delaney Spaulding and sophomore second baseman Kylee Perez.
Sophomore Madeline Jelenicki gave the Bruins five First Team awards with the nod at catcher, while also earning All-Pac-12 Second Team accolades. Paige Halstead and Brianna Tautalafua were each named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, while Tautalafua (first base) was recognized on the NFCA All-Region Second Team.
The five First Team All-Region honors were the most for the Bruins since the 2002 squad, which also had five, while the four First Team All-Pac-12 plaudits equaled the best of any team in the league (Oregon).
Bennett leads the Bruins with a .437 batting average, 55 runs scored and 12 stolen bases, also ranking second with a .526 on base percentage and 29 walks, adding seven doubles and 22 runs batted in. The senior is 26th nationally in average, 30th in on base percentage and tied for 30th in runs scored, ranking first, third and third among conference players in those three categories, while also checking in at third in hits (69), tied for fifth in stolen bases and sixth in walks in the league. She enters the postseason on a nine-game hitting streak and has reached base in 16 consecutive contests. Bennett's 20 multiple-hit games leads the club. It was the second season in a row in which Bennett earned First Team honors from the NFCA and Pac-12, as well as her third all-league award (2014 Honorable Mention). She also earned her second straight All-Defensive honor, committing no errors in 72 chances.
Sataraka leads the team with a .759 slugging, a .563 on base percentage and 54 walks, is tied for first with four sacrifice flies, second with 50 runs batted in and 13 multi-RBI contests, tied for second with 12 home runs and third with a .371 batting average and 38 runs scored. Sataraka, who has reached base in 15 straight games, enters the postseason ranked fifth in the nation in walks, 11th in on base percentage, 37th in slugging and tied for 44th in sacrifice flies. Among league players, she is first in on base and walks, tied for third in sacrifice flies, fifth in RBI and sixth in slugging. The senior received her third All-Pac-12 award (2014 First Team, 2013 Honorable Mention) and her second All-Region honor (2014 Second Team).
Spaulding is tops on the squad with 14 home runs, 56 runs batted in and 15 multiple-RBI contests, adding a .342 batting average. She is also tied for first with nine doubles, second with 45 runs scored and a .685 slugging, tied for second with six stolen bases and third with 23 walks. Owner of a nine-game hitting streak heading into the postseason, Spaulding is tied for 29th in the country in RBI and tied for 48th in homers, ranking third and tied for fourth among Pac-12 players in those two categories to go with an eighth-place standing in total bases (102). Spaulding is 3-for-3 in All-Region and All-Pac-12 accolades in her career, receiving First Team honors from both last year and Second Team from each as a freshman.
Perez leads the squad with 11 sacrifice hits, is tied for first with nine doubles, second with a .410 batting average and seven hit by pitches, tied for second with six stolen bases and third with a .480 on base percentage, adding 34 runs scored, three home runs, 33 runs batted in, 14 walks and a .538 slugging. She has two separate, double-digit hitting streaks this season and is second on the team with 19 multiple-hit games and third with 11 multi-RBI contests. Perez is second in the Pac-12 and tied for 45th nationally in sacrifice hits, while also checking in at fifth in batting average in the conference and sixth in hits (64) and hit by pitches. She was named All-West Region Third Team as a freshman and All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention.
Jelenicki is tied for second on the team with 12 home runs and third with 48 runs batted in, also tying for first with four sacrifice flies and two triples. She ranks second on the squad with seven sacrifice hits, third with a .662 slugging and tied for third with eight doubles, adding a .331 batting average, 29 runs scored and 10 walks. Jelenicki is tied for third among Pac-12 players and tied for 44th nationally in sacrifice flies, tied for fourth in the league in triples, sixth in sacrifices and tied for seventh in RBI. She has been outstanding both offensively, with her 15 multiple-hit games (third on the team) and defensively, committing just one error in 198 chances (.995 fielding percentage). Jelenicki was named All-Pac-12 Freshman a year ago.
Tautalafua is batting .299 with seven home runs and 21 runs batted in, adding 12 runs scored and 12 walks. The freshman, who missed the first 21 games of the season due to injury, came on strong at the end of the regular season, recording three homers and nine RBI in her last five contests, including three multiple-hit games. Tautalafua earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors on May 9 and was a two-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.
Halstead is tied for first on the team with two triples and tied for third with eight doubles and two sacrifice flies, adding a .301 batting average, three home runs, 26 runs batted in, 17 runs scored and 10 walks. She has shown her versatility on the field, having played catcher, first base and right field this season, while offensively, Halstead was one of seven Bruins to hit over .300 during the regular season.
The 12th-seeded Bruins open the NCAA Tournament on Friday at 6 p.m. against CSU Bakersfield. The game will have live stats, video and audio on UCLABruins.com. Tickets are available here.
