University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Rachel Garcia is the sixth Bruin to be named Pac-10/12 Freshman or Newcomer of the Year.
Garcia Named Pac-12 FOY, Five Bruins Honored
May 15, 2017 | Softball
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SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Rachel Garcia was named Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year, as announced on Monday, and was one of five Bruins to receive All-Conference honors.
Garcia is the sixth Bruin to earn Pac-10/12 Newcomer or Freshman of the Year honors, joining Tanya Harding (1995), Julie Adams (1996), Stacey Nuveman (1997), Anjelica Selden (2005) and Stephany LaRosa (2012).
Garcia, who was also named All-Freshman Team, was joined on the All-Pac-12 First Team by senior Delaney Spaulding and juniors Madeline Jelenicki and Kylee Perez. Freshman Bubba Nickles picked up All-Pac-12 Second and Freshman Team accolades, while Perez and Spaulding were selected to the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team.
Spaulding became the 29th Bruin to receive four All-Conference honors, picking up her third consecutive First Team award. Perez's All-Pac-12 nod was her second in a row and her third straight All-Conference selection. Jelenicki recorded her second All-Pac-12 award and her initial First Team plaudit after being named Second Team a year ago.
Garcia, a three-time Pac-12 Pitcher and Freshman of the Week and finalist for NFCA National Freshman of the Year, leads the Bruins with an 18-7 record, a 1.95 earned run average and 161 strikeouts in 154 2/3 innings. At the plate, she is third with a .329 batting average and tied for second with 17 walks, adding five home runs, 25 runs batted in and 10 doubles. In her 37 appearances in the circle, Garcia has given up zero or one earned run in 26 of them. She has at least five strikeouts in 13 games. Garcia has hits in 20 of her last 25 games to raise her average from .261 to .329.
Spaulding is tops on the squad with 14 home runs, 51 runs scored and 21 walks, tied for first with 15 doubles, second with a .381 average and third with 38 runs batted in and six stolen bases. She has 17 RBI in her last 11 games, producing hits in nine of those contests. Spaulding tied school records last Friday at Arizona State with five hits and five runs. She has crossed home plate in seven games in a row (14 total), having posted 18 multiple-hit games and eight multi-RBI contests this season.
Perez leads the team with a .411 average, is tied for first with 15 doubles and second with 44 runs scored and eight stolen bases, adding two homers and 29 RBI. The junior also had a five-hit game to equal a school record when she accomplished the feat at Stanford on April 28. The team leader in multiple-hit games with 22, to go with nine multi-RBI contests, Perez enters the postseason with a seven-game hitting streak, batting .542 (13-for-24) with a homer and 10 RBI during that stretch.
Jelenicki leads the team with 60 runs batted in and five sacrifice flies and is third with 12 homers and 12 doubles, adding a .327 batting average. She enters the NCAA Championship with hits in nine of her last 10 contests, batting .324 (11-for-34) with two homers and 18 RBI during that span. Jelenicki is tops on the squad with 16 multiple-RBI games, adding 16 multi-hit contests, and has made just two errors in 325 chances (.994 fielding percentage) behind the plate and at first base.
Nickles is third on the squad with 34 runs scored and fourth with 10 homers and 30 RBI, adding a .276 batting average and seven doubles. She became just the seventh Bruin freshman to post double digits in home runs when she left the yard last Friday at ASU. Six of Nickles' 10 homers came during Pac-12 play. Nickles has 11 multiple-hit games and eight multi-RBI contests.
The Bruins open up the postseason on Friday at Easton Stadium, taking on Lehigh at 8:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
All-Pac-12 Conference Teams
Freshman of the Year: Rachel Garcia
First Team: Garcia, Madeline Jelenicki, Kylee Perez, Delaney Spaulding
Second Team: Bubba Nickles
Freshman Team: Garcia, Nickles
Defensive Team: Perez, Spaulding
Players Mentioned
P/UTIL
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C/1B
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