Pac-12 Player of the Year Rachel Garcia and Freshman of the Year Aaliyah Jordan.
Garcia POY, Jordan FOY, Eight Bruins Honored
May 12, 2018 | Softball
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SAN FRANCISCO - A total of eight Bruins were honored on the All-Pac-12 Conference Teams, as announced after Saturday's game, including redshirt sophomore Rachel Garcia, who was named Pac-12 Player of the Year, and Aaliyah Jordan, who was recognized as Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and the league Batting Champion.
Garcia's conference POY award is the 15th in Bruin history, joining Ally Carda (2014 and 2015), Megan Langenfeld (2010), Andrea Duran (2006), Natasha Watley (2003), Stacey Nuveman (1999, 2001, 2002), Lisa Fernandez (1991, 1992, 1993) and Lisa Longaker (1987, 1988, 1990).
Jordan is the seventh 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), Stephany LaRosa (2012) and Garcia (2017). In the fourth year that the Pac-12 has bestowed the Batting Champion award, the Bruins have won three of four (Allexis Bennett in 2015 and 2016).
Garcia and Jordan were also named to the All-Pac-12 First Team, as were senior Kylee Perez and freshman Briana Perez. Sophomore Bubba Nickles earned All-Pac-12 Second Team accolades and senior Madeline Jelenicki was recognized on the Third Team. Jordan, Briana Perez, Holly Azevedo and Kinsley Washington were honored on the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, while the Perez sisters each earned All-Defensive Team nods.
Kylee Perez becomes the 29th Bruin to earn four All-Pac-10/12 awards, going from Honorable Mention in 2015 to First Team the last three seasons. Jelenicki picked up her third All-Pac-12 nod (Second Team in 2016, First Team in 2017), Garcia earned her second-straight, All-Pac-12 First Team plaudit and Nickles was recognized on the Second Team for the second year in a row.
Garcia leads the Bruins' pitching staff with a 1.08 earned run average, a 21-2 record and 218 strikeouts in 142 2/3 innings, while adding a .355 batting average, nine home runs and 44 runs batted in, the latter two categories ranking second on the team. She is a Top 10 finalist for the USA Softball National Player of the Year award, a two-time NFCA National Pitcher of the Week (April 17 and 24), a two-time USA Softball National Player of the Week (Feb. 27 and April 17), a one-time NFCA National Player of the Week (Feb. 27), a three-time Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week (April 16, April 23 and May 7) and a one-time Pac-12 Player of the Week (April 16). Garcia has pitched 14 complete games and has been a part of nine shutouts, including seven solo blankings, adding two saves and limiting opponents to a .127 batting average. At the plate, she is third with 20 walks and tied for first with five sacrifice flies.
Jordan is tops on the squad with a .444 average, 11 homers, 63 RBI, 14 doubles, 123 total bases, a .759 slugging and a .497 on base percentage. She is also tied for first with five sacrifice flies, second with 21 walks and third with 53 runs scored. A Top 10 finalist for both the USA Softball POY and the NFCA National Freshman of the Year, Jordan is a six-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week (Feb. 20, Feb. 27, March 13, April 2, April 23 and April 30) to go with Pac-12 Player of the Week honors on April 23. She is ranked in the Top 40 in eight offensive categories, including fifth in average, tied for sixth in RBI, tied for 12th in sacrifice flies, tied for 13th in runs and tied for 16th in hits.
Kylee Perez is first on the team in runs scored with 55, ranking in the Top 10 nationally. She is also second on the Bruins with a .459 on base percentage and 10 stolen bases, third in batting average (.388) and hits (66) and tied for third in doubles with 10 and walks with 20, adding five homers and 30 RBI. A Top 10 finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, she is second on the team with 20 multiple-hit games.
Briana Perez, a Top 25 finalist for the NFCA Freshman of the Year and the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week on Feb. 13, is batting .387 with five home runs and 34 runs batted in. She is first with 11 stolen bases and seven hit by pitches, second with 54 runs scored, 67 hits and 98 total bases and tied for third with 10 doubles.
Nickles ranks second on the team with a .390 batting average, 12 doubles and a .610 slugging, as she is also first with five sacrifice hits and third with 41 runs batted in, a .455 on base percentage and 94 total bases, adding six homers.
Jelenicki, who capped her Senior Day with a walk-off homer against Arizona State on Saturday, is batting .276 with six homers and 17 runs batted in. She has hits in her last five games entering the postseason, driving in eight in those handful of contests.
Azevedo has a spotless record on the season at 15-0, posting a 2.05 earned run average and 82 strikeouts in 106 innings. She has 10 complete games, including two solo shutouts, tossing a five-hitter on May 4 at California.
Washington is batting .330 with eight runs batted in, ranking third on the team with seven stolen bases. She also has six doubles and 32 runs scored. Washington has nine multiple-hit games.
All-Pac-12 Conference Teams
Player of the Year: Rachel Garcia
Freshman of the Year: Aaliyah Jordan
First Team: Rachel Garcia, Aaliyah Jordan, Briana Perez, Kylee Perez
Second Team: Bubba Nickles
Third Team: Madeline Jelenicki
All-Freshman Team: Holly Azevedo, Aaliyah Jordan, Briana Perez, Kinsley Washington
All-Defensive Team: Briana Perez, Kylee Perez
The Bruins find out where their postseason journey begins on Sunday at 7 p.m. when the NCAA selection show airs on ESPN2.
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