University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Redshirt freshman Rachel Garcia leads the Bruins in wins, ERA and strikeouts.
Rachel Garcia Named NFCA Freshman of the Year
May 30, 2017 | Softball
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OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -ย Rachel Garcia was named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association National Freshman of the Year, as announced at the Women's College World Series team banquet on Tuesday. Garcia is the first Bruin to earn this award in the fourth year of its existence.
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Garcia, the Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year, NFCA All-West Region Second Team, All-Pac-12 First Team and All-Pac-12 Freshman Team, leads the Bruins with a 22-7 record, three saves, a 1.92 earned run average and a team-best 196 strikeouts in 182 2/3 innings. She has 12 complete games and has been a part of 13 shutouts, including five solo blankings.
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At the plate, Garcia is third on the team with 18 walks, adding a .327 batting average, seven home runs, 27 runs batted in and 11 doubles. The redshirt freshman earned both wins at the Los Angeles Super Regional against #12-seed Ole Miss last weekend. She had career highs in innings (11), strikeouts (12) and pitches thrown (232) in game one (May 25), while tossing four hitless frames of relief in game two (May 26), striking out five and walking one. Garcia also had two hits in game one, including a solo homer.
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Garcia tossed the first no-hitter of her career in her postseason opener against Lehigh on May 19, facing just one over the minimum in five innings with eight strikeouts. She won twice and allowed just one run, one walk and seven hits in 13 innings with 18 strikeouts in three games at the Los Angeles Regional. A four-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, a three-time Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week and the USA Softball National Player of the Week (April 11), Garcia has given up zero or one earned run in 28 of her 42 appearances this season, including four of five in the postseason.
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The fifth-seeded Bruins open up the Women's College World Series on Thursday against #13-seed LSU at 11:30 a.m. PT/1:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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