Three Aggie Softball Players Earn All-Mountain West Honors

Three Utah State [University] softball players have earned all-Mountain West accolades, announced by the league Tuesday [May 17, 2016], as junior outfielder/pitcher Alleyah Armendariz, sophomore outfielder Jazmin Clarke and junior third baseman Victoria Saucedo were each named to the second team.

These are the second-career all-conference accolades for Armendariz and Saucedo, and the first for Clarke. Armendariz earned second-team honors last season, while Saucedo was the Mountain West Freshman of the Year with first-team recognition in 2014.

“I’m excited to see these three players get recognized for their efforts,” said Utah State head coach Steve Johnson. “Looking through all the nominees there are a lot of deserving players and only a few spots available, so being recognized by the coaches is quite the honor.”

A versatile player for the Aggies, Armendariz saw time in the outfield, as pitcher, at first base and as the designated player this season. In conference play, she batted .325 with 25 hits and 15 runs scored while posting a 3-5 record with a 4.67 ERA in the circle. On the year, Armendariz led the team with 14 doubles and was second in runs scored with 33.

“Alleyah was a consistent hitter throughout the year and really came on and gave us some quality starts and innings late in the conference season,” Johnson said. “She had her best game against San Diego State and really controlled Fresno State for much of the game. It’s exciting to see how far she’s come.”

Earning her spot in the outfield after another player was injured, Clarke led the Aggies at the plate in conference action as she batted .377 with 23 hits and 18 runs scored. Additionally, she yielded a perfect fielding percentage in Mountain West games. Shattering the previous record, Clarke set a new single-season stolen base record with 25 steals.

“Jaz was certainly the surprise of the year but I couldn’t be happier for her,” Johnson said. “She changed so much about her skill set in one year and to lead us in hitting in the Mountain West as well as having a perfect fielding percentage says a lot about how hard she worked.”

One of two players to start all 51 games of the season, Saucedo hit .333 and tallied a team-best 26 RBIs in conference play. She tied the single-season home record with 12 on the year, eight of which came against Mountain West opponents. Back from an injury last year, Saucedo matched many of her statistics from her rookie season that won her the Freshman of the Year title.

“Vic is a great comeback story after winning Freshman of the Year two years ago,” Johnson said. “She rebounded from Tommy John surgery this year and had a much better season at the plate leading us in home runs as well as moving back to third base where she really developed into one of the best in the conference.”

With its dominating 22-1 conference record, Fresno State showed its success in the postseason awards. Junior outfielder Kierra Willis was named Player of the Year, while senior right-hander Jill Compton earned the Pitcher of the Year title. Bulldog senior catcher Paige Gumz was awarded the Defensive Player of the Year honor, while Trisha Ford was named Coach of the Year. Boise State infielder Rebekah Cervantes picked up the 2016 Freshman of the Year accolade.

Utah State had its best season in 20 years this season, finishing with a winning record for the first time since 1996. The Aggies ended the 2016 campaign at 26-25 overall, posting a 12-12 conference record. Tying for third in the Mountain West, the Aggies recorded their highest conference finish since the 1993 squad tied for first in the Big West standings. As a team, USU batted .307 on the year while setting new program records in runs scored (281), doubles (86), home runs (50), total bases (701), RBIs (259), slugging percentage (.492) and on base percentage (.383).

2016 Mountain West All-Conference First Team

2016 Mountain West All-Conference Second Team

*** four-time honoree

** two-time honoree

Player of the Year: Kierra Willis, Jr., OF, Fresno State

Pitcher of the Year: Jill Compton, Sr., RHP, Fresno State

Defensive Player of the Year: Paige Gumz, Sr., C, Fresno State

Freshman of the Year: Rebekah Cervantes, SS/INF, Boise State

Coach of the Year: Trisha Ford, Fresno State

Additional Aggie sports news is available at the Athletics website.