Nichole Fry Named Big West Defensive Player Of The Year; Beach Softball Has Nine Earn All-Big West Honors

Nichole Fry Named Big West Defensive Player Of The Year; Beach Softball Has Nine Earn All-Big West Honors

5/14/2019 12:56:00 PM | Softball

Seniors Fry, Jamie Wren and Lauren Lombardi were all named first-team All-Big West.

By: Roger Kirk, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletic Communications

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Senior shortstop Nichole Fry became the second player in LBSU history to be named the Big West Defensive Player of the Year as well as earning first-team All-Big West to highlight Long Beach State's honors as the 2019 All-Big West teams and accolades were announced Tuesday.

Fry joined two-time winner Shayna Kimbrough as the only LBSU players named Defensive Player of the Year, as the pair of shortstops have manned the position for the last eight seasons with spectacular plays and consistent excellence.

Her impact was not limited to her glove, as Fry had another outstanding season to earn first-team All-Big West for the second consecutive year. Fry was second on the team in batting at .338 and led the team in home runs with eight, finishing the year with a team-best .452 on-base percentage after walking 21 times, getting hit eight times and striking out just five times all season, one of the nation's toughest to strike out.

Making the difficult seem routine for four years...Nichole Fry! #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/z9kTjOiAQA
— LBSU Softball (@LBSUSoftball) May 10, 2019

                Two other seniors earned first-team All-Big West honors for Long Beach State. Lauren Lombardi hit .386 in conference play to close out her sixth year at the Beach, and earning first-team honors for the second time and the first since her sophomore campaign in 2015. Jamie Wren also earned all-conference honors for the first time. Wren led Long Beach State on .375 hitting with 41 RBI, 12 doubles and three triples. In conference play, Wren led the Big West in hits with 29 and was one of two batters to hit over .400.

                Sophomore Alyssa Gonzalez earned second-team honors in her first full season at the Beach. Gonzalez was third on the team in batting at .338 with 40 RBI and five home runs, joining Fry and Wren in slugging over .500 for the year.

                The Beach also had five players earn honorable mention. Maddy Ruffin was also named to the All-Freshman Team in addition to her honorable mention, hitting .318 with 14 RBI and three doubles in conference play after a strong second half of the season. Junior college transfer Sydney McCollum earned honorable mention after a strong first season that saw the junior hit .313 with 10 doubles and a team-high eight stolen bases. Taylor Rowland hit .308 in conference play to also earn all-conference honors for the second time in two years at LBSU.

                In the circle, both of Long Beach State's starting pitchers also earned honorable mention. Ashley Coleman led the team in wins with a 13-11 record and two saves, finishing the year among the nation's leaders with seven shutouts. Kellie White was the team's leader with 101 strikeouts in 138.0 innings pitched.

                The total of nine players recognized was the most for Long Beach State since the 2014 season. Voting for All-Big West is conducted by the league's eight coaches.