LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Cal Lutheran Softball continues to garner awards as the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced their 2018 NCAA Division III All-Region teams, Thursday afternoon. Olivia Leyva was named to the All-West Region Second Team as a third baseman and Kendall Marinesi earned Third Team honors as an at-large selection.
All-Region players are nominated and selected by NFCA member coaches in each of the eight Division III regions. Each team in comprised of 15 players.
Leyva was named to the NFCA All-Region Second team after earning all-conference first team honors for the second consecutive year in a row. She hit .400 on the year, the second best average on the team and ninth in the conference. She also led the team with 31 runs and three home runs, and held second with 50 hits, 23 RBI, 12 doubles and four triples. The senior notched a .449 on-base percentage and .632 slugging percentage. Defensively, Leyva started 39 of the team's 40 games primarily at third base, racking up 53 putouts and .953 fielding percentage.
Marinesi was named to the NFCA All-Region Third Team after also being selected to the All-SCIAC First Team and to the 2018 Academic All-District Team for NCAA Division III's District Eight, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The sophomore led the Regals with a .419 batting average, .455 on base percentage and .663 slugging percentage. She also tied for first in conference with 37 RBIs and came runner-up in the SCIAC with 52 hits. Marinesi also contributed a team-leading 13 doubles and five triples, as well as, two home runs. She finished 32nd in the nation with five triples and spent nearly eight weeks at first in the nation for toughest to strike out, remaining spotless for 25 straight games to start the season.
NFCA release: Division III All-Region Teams
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Release by Christy Effendie, Assistant Sports Information Director