GCU’s Barry earns PacWest Player, Newcomer awards; HPU’s Sherise Musquiz, Nicole Morrow & Bryan Nakasone claim honors

PHOENIX, AZ - Grand Canyon junior OF Teddy Barry (Phoenix, AZ/Greenway) has been selected the 2010 Pacific West Conference Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, while Hawai‘i Pacific senior hurler Sherise Musquiz (Pico Rivera, CA/El Rancho) was named the PacWest Pitcher of the Year.

The PacWest media office in Phoenix, AZ, announced the honors on Tuesday, May 11.

2010 All-PacWest Softball Team (PDF)

Barry splashed onto the scene in 2010 by hitting .459 in 53 starts for the Antelopes, leading Grand Canyon to a 42-11 overall record, a 23-9 PacWest mark, and a berth in the NCAA II National Championship Tournament.

She is ranked third in hitting in the PacWest and leads the conference in doubles (20), runs batted in (64), home runs (14) and slugging percentage (.843). She is tied for first in base hits (79), has stolen 25 bases in 27 attempts, produced a .527 on-base average, and has walked 27 times.

Barry also was named an All-PacWest First Team member for her outstanding season.

Musquiz made it four First Team selections in four years by claiming the honors again in 2010. She also earns her second Pitcher of the Year honor after taking the award as a freshman in 2007.

The righty hurler has been absolutely phenomenal this season, posting a 25-1 record with a 0.85 earned run average in 157.1 innings of work. She has competed in 31 games with 24 starts, tossing 17 complete games and eight shutouts.

She ranks first in the league in victories, has struck out 86 batters, and had yielded just 24 walks. Opponents have managed to hit just .210 against her.

HPU rookie utility player Nicole Morrow (Puyallup, WA/John Rogers) joins Musquiz as a 2010 PacWest honoree by earning Freshman of the Year accolades.

Morrow hit .340 this season in 44 games, going 35 for 103 with 12 runs scored, 12 doubles, two homers and 21 RBI. She walked 14 times and had a .515 slugging rate to go along with a .412 on-base average.

HPU’s Bryan Nakasone repeated as the PacWest Coach of the Year after leading the Sea Warriors to the PacWest Championship and the top seed in the NCAA II West Region Tournament. HPU posted a 41-6 overall record and a 26-4 conference mark that led to a league championship.

The Sea Warriors landed three other All-PacWest First Team choices in addition to Musquiz. Senior OF Ciera Senas (Wahiawa, HI/Mililani), a First Team choice in 2008; junior utility player Kozy Toriano (Hilo, HI/Kamehameha Schools), who was a Second Team utility player and First Team catcher in 2009; and sophomore DP Maile Kim (Salinas, CA/Notre Dame), who repeats as a First Team member. She also was named the PacWest Freshman and Newcomer of the Year in 2009.

In 47 starts this season, Kim is batting .381 after going 51 for 134. She scored 25 runs, homered eight times, and recorded 42 RBI. She had a .612 slugging rate and a .452 on-base mark to go along with her 19 walks and five doubles.

For the second straight year Toriano has been recognized at two different positions. In addition to her First Team utility player honor, she claimed Second Team outfield accolades. In just two seasons she has four All-PacWest awards at three different positions.

Toriano is batting .323 in 42 starts for the Sea Warriors, going 40 for 124 with 25 runs scored, 12 steals, seven doubles, two triples and 30 RBI. She has a .411 slugging rate and 12 walks so far this season.

Senas is a perfect 16 for 16 in stolen base attempts while scoring 51 runs and drawing 17 walks. She is batting .361 (53 for 147) with five doubles and four triples, and she has reached base six times after being hit by a pitch. She boasts a .449 slugging rate and a .447 on-base mark.

In addition to Toriano, the Sea Warriors picked up two other All-PacWest Second Team choices in senior 2B Casey Sugihara (Mililani, HI/Mililani) – a three-time All-PacWest Second Team selection – and junior pitcher Ashley Valine (Shell Beach, CA/San Luis Obispo).

Sugihara is hitting .328 (44 for 134) in 47 starts, scoring 37 runs while driving in 10. She has doubled four times and homered once. She also has six stolen bases, 25 walks and 11 sacrifice bunts.

Valine, who was chosen at the flex position, is a terrific complement to Musquiz on the mound. She has produced a 15-5 record with a 1.28 ERA in 24 appearances. She started 21 games, tossed four shutouts and struck out 42 in 137.0 innings of work.

Dixe State landed a quartet of players on the All-PacWest First Team. The Red Storm posted a 37-12 overall mark and a 24-6 record in the conference to finish second in 2010 and earn a berth in the NCAA II West Regional as the seventh seed.

Senior 2B Shantae Hunter (Idaho Falls, ID/Idaho Falls) made her debut on the squad after batting .434 through 49 starts. She ranks fourth in the league in hitting after going 69 for 159 at the plate. She has compiled 45 runs, six doubles, three triples, five home runs and 44 RBI. She also walked 17 times, stole 19 bases and served up a .604 slugging percentage.

Sophomore 3B Kelsey Mendenhall (Tooele, UT/Tooele) earned All-PacWest First Team accolades at the proverbial hot corner after claming Second Team honors across the diamond at first base in 2009.

This season she is hitting .369 in 49 starts, going 48 for 130 with 44 runs scored, 12 doubles, 10 homers and 45 RBI. She has a .692 slugging rate and a .508 on-base average after reaching base 31 times on walks and 11 times after being hit by a pitch.

Sophomore OF Bailie Hicken (Cedar Hills, UT/Lone Peak) repeated her All-PacWest First Team choice from a year ago with an outstanding offensive performance so far in 2010. She currently leads the league in hitting with a .467 average in 49 starts. She is tied for the conference lead in base hits (79), leads the league in runs scored (69), and has twice as many stolen bases as her closest competitor (52). She went 79 for 169 with three doubles, three triples, a homer and 17 walks. She has produced a .538 slugging average and a .516 on-base mark.

Junior catcher Breanna Egge (Las Vegas, NV/Centennial) made the jump from Second Team last year to First Team in 2010 with an outstanding offensive season this year. She is currently ranked sixth in hitting with a .409 batting average after going 56 for 137 in 46 games. She has scored 36 runs, driven in 43 others, homered six times, doubled in a dozen at-bats, and roped a pair of triples. She also has produced a .657 slugging rate, a .464 on-base average, 14 walks and 10 steals.

The Red Storm also turned in a trio of All-PacWest Second Team performances thanks to freshman 1B Anna Cue (Murrieta Valley, CA/Murrieta Valley), junior SS Ashley McFarland (Layton, UT/Layton), and rookie utility player Johnna Brown (Las Vegas, NV/Centennial).

Cue is hitting .401 in 47 starts for the Red Storm, going 63 for 157 with 23 runs, 50 RBI, 17 doubles, one triple and five home runs. She has a .618 slugging rate, a .424 on-base average and six walks.

McFarland is batting .376 with 44 runs, 31 RBI, five homers and nine doubles. She is 47 for 125 at the plate with 31 walks, a .494 on-base average and a .568 slugging mark.

Brown, the PacWest Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-Conference member in women’s hoops this year, joined the Red Storm softball squad following the conclusion of the basketball season.

Although she does not have enough plate appearances to rank among the PacWest offensive leaders, she still is managing to hit .448 in 34 games and 29 starts. She went 43 for 96 with 23 runs scored, 10 doubles, two triples and five home runs. She produced a stunning .750 slugging rate and a .467 on-base mark.

Grand Canyon landed a trio of All-PacWest Second Team choices in sophomore OF Kara Holtorf (Peoria, AZ/Sunrise Mountain), sophomore hurler Ivy Campas (Tucson, AZ/Sunnyside), and senior DP Tracy Lubken (Scottsdale, AZ/Horizon), a 2009 Second Team selection.

The Antelopes are 42-11 overall, 23-9 in the PacWest and will compete in the NCAA II West Regional at Sonoma State starting Friday.

Holtorf batted .337 in 51 starts, going 66 for 196 with 50 runs scored, 19 RBI, four doubles, seven walks and 22 stolen bases.

Lubken is presently eighth in the league in hitting with a .397 average. She has gone 62 for 156, scoring 57 runs while driving in 61 others. She ranks second in RBI and in doubles (19), and she has homered six times while producing a pair of triples. She has a .660 slugging mark, a .497 on-base rate, and leads the league in getting hit by a pitch (15).

Campas has unleashed a 23-5 record this season with a 2.40 ERA and three shutouts. She has started in 26 of the 30 games in which she has appearerd, and ranks second in innings pitched (175.0) and sixth in strikeouts (104).

Hawai‘i Hilo totaled four All-PacWest selections including two First Team members in sophomore pitcher Amber Waracka (Kahuluu, HI/Kamehameha-Kapalama) and junior flex Christina Pedroza (La Mirada, CA/La Mirada).

The Vulcans are 35-14 overall and finished tied for third in the PacWest with Grand Canyon at 23-9. UHH also is competing in the NCAA II West Regional this weekend.

Waracka has registered a 17-7 overall mark with a 1.83 earned run average and a .204 opponent’s batting mark through the regular season. She has tossed 10 shutouts and struck out 122 batters in 149.0 innings of work.

Pedroza has posted an 8-4 mark on the mound with a 2.52 earned run average. She has recorded four shutouts and eight complete games in 14 starts and 21 appearances. She also has 49 strikeouts in 91.2 innings of work.

Second Team honors belonged to junior 3B Amanda Tellez (Gilroy, CA/Gilroy) and senior OF Sierra Green (Longmont, CO/Longmont), a 2010 All-PacWest Second Team selection.

Tellez is hitting .272 with 22 runs scored, 40 base hits, three doubles, one homer and 13 RBI in 49 games this season. An unselfish player, she leads the PacWest with 16 sacrifice bunts.

Green is ranked fifth in hitting in the PacWest with a .411 average in 48 games. She is 67 for 163 with 36 runs scored, eight doubles, two triples, a home run and 11 RBI. She has walked seven times, reached base at a .442 clip, stole 16 bases and produced a .503 slugging rate.

Academy of Art earned a trio of All-PacWest selections during its inaugural season in the conference. Junior 1B Ashley Lokey (Eugene, OR/Elmira) and senior SS Shampayne Clay (Brentwood, CA/Liberty) were named to the First Team, while sophomore pitcher Sierrah Garcia (Los Banos, CA/Los Banos) claimed Second Team accolades.

Lokey is presently ranked second in the conference in hitting with a .466 batting average. She is 76 for 163 with 48 runs scored, 14 doubles, one triple, six homers and 20 RBI in 53 starts. She leads the league in walks (34), has stolen 19 bases, and has conjured up a .675 slugging rate to go along with a .563 on-base mark.

Clay is batting .371 in 52 games, going 59 for 159 with 35 runs scored, eight doubles, nine homers and 45 RBI. She has a .591 slugging rate, a .420 on-base mark, nine walks and nine steals.

Garcia has done damage at the plate and on the mound. She has hit .306 in 52 games and 51 starts, going 45 for 147 with 21 runs, 19 RBI and eight doubles. She also has produced a 19-9 record with a 2.47 earned run average in 43 appearances and 23 starts. She leads the PacWest in strikeouts with 200 in 201.0 innings of work.

Chaminade senior catcher Brandi Sasaki (Honolulu, HI/Kaimuki) earned Second Team accolades. She is currently hitting .357 with 16 runs scored and 25 RBI in 52 starts. She has gone 51 for 143 with nine doubles, a triple and five homers. She also has walked 22 times and posted a .538 slugging rate to complement her .462 on-base mark.