Kim Sowder Coach of the Year, Makayla Medellin Freshman Player of the Year As Nine Players Recognized By Big West

Kim Sowder Coach of the Year, Makayla Medellin Freshman Player of the Year As Nine Players Recognized By Big West

5/16/2023 12:07:00 PM | Softball

The Beach had eight players named All-Big West after winning the conference championship.

By: Roger Kirk, Associate Athletics Director, Communications & Broadcast

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Kim Sowder was named the Big West Coach of the Year for a fifth time, and Makayla Medellin was chosen as the Big West Freshman Player of the year, highlighting a large number of players from the Big West champions recognized as the conference office announced All-Big West awards on Tuesday.

Kim Sowder's efforts in leading Long Beach State to a 10th Big West Conference title were honored as the Beach head coach earned Big West Coach of the Year honors for a fifth time in her career. Long Beach State went 21-6 in Big West play and posted a 1.41 ERA as a staff, walking a league-low 48 batters while hitting .269 as a team. The Beach recorded their ninth 30-win season under the leadership of Sowder, and advanced the postseason for the 9th time under her watch.

Four-time Big West Freshman of the Week, Makayla Medellin became the fourth player named the Big West Freshman Player of the Year, joining three Long Beach State legends in Jonae Perez, Darian Tautalfua and Naomi Hernandez. Playing in 48 games as a true freshman, Medellin was outstanding in Big West play, hitting .315 with 10 RBI and five walks while batting third for the majority of the league season.

Three players for Long Beach State earned First Team All-Big West honors. Shannon Haddad was chosen for the first team for the second time in two full seasons at the Beach. Haddad was the leading arm in the circle for the Beach, posting a 13-9 record with a 2.16 ERA over 139.1 innings pitched with 107 strikeouts. Even better in league play, Haddad went 9-3 with a 1.51 ERA and a .197 batting average against, both in the Top 5 in the Big West.

Long Beach State's leading hitters were also chosen for the first team. Sara Olson slashed .336/.409/.526 to lead the Beach in all three categories, hitting four home runs, five triples and seven doubles to lead the Beach in those as well. Walking 18 times, Olson stole 13 bases and played outstanding defense in left field for LBSU, repeating as All-Big West after earning Honorable Mention last season.

Sophomore Jacquelyn Bickar also improved from Honorable Mention to First Team in 2023. Hitting .313 with three home runs, seven doubles and a team-leading 18 RBI, Bickar started in 46 games and led the team with 19 walks while also stealing 13 bases. The sophomore led Long Beach State in batting in Big West action, starting all 27 games and hitting .364, sixth-best in the Big West.

Medellin, in addition to her Freshman Player of the Year honors was also one of four Beach players named to the All-Big West Second Team. From the lineup, junior Lilyanna Martinez earned her second All-Big West honor after Honorable Mention in 2021. Martinez led Long Beach State and tied the single-season school record with 19 stolen bases, batting .321 in Big West action, a mark that was third on the team.

Two additional members of the LBSU pitching staff were honored as well. Junior Sophia Fernandez repeated as a Big West honoree after Honorable Mention in 2022 with a tremendous league campaign. Fernandez went 7-1 over 44.2 innings pitched, and tossed five complete games with three solo shutouts. Eryka Gonzales in her first year at the Beach also was named second team. The sophomore led the Big West with an 0.63 ERA in Big West action, going 3-0 with 17 strikeouts in four starts while pitching 33.1 innings and allowing just three earned runs in total.

Sophomore Carly Robbins earned Honorable Mention after starting 21 games in conference play and hitting .281, third on the team in the full season with a .302 batting average with 14 RBI and a pair of home runs.

Both of the team's freshman also were selected for the Big West All-Freshman team. Stellar defensive shortstop Selena Perez joined Medellin on the ten-player squad as both were regular starters for the Big West champions.

The eight total selections were tied for the third-most in school history, and the most since nine players were honored following Long Beach State's 2021 Big West championship campaign.