DAVIS, Calif. — The reigning Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year has added yet another award to her mantel as sophomore left-hander
Brooke Yanez was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Pacific Region First Team the organization announced Thursday morning.
Yanez becomes the first Aggie to earn all-region first-team honors in the program's Division I history and, after earning a second team award as a freshman in 2018, becomes the program's first two-time all-region selection since pitcher Amy Rosson won three straight awards from 2002-04. She was one of 11 players from the Big West to make the all-region honor roll, but one of only two named to a first team along with Hawai'i's Callee Heen (All-West Region).
The awards honor softball student-athletes from the Association's 10 regions with first, second and third-team selections. NFCA member coaches from each respective region voted on the teams, and all the honorees now become eligible for the 2019 NFCA Division I All-America squads.
One of 42 players selected to the Pacific Region, which includes members of the Pacific-12, Mountain West, Western Athletic, Big Sky, West Coast, and Big West conferences, Yanez added a first-team All-Big West award for the second straight season in 2019 in addition to becoming only the third UC Davis student-athlete to earn top pitcher honors from the league, joining former greats Alex Holmes (2010) and Justine Vela (2012).
The communication major from Ventura, Calif., wrapped up one of the most successful seasons by an Aggie in the circle, finishing the regular season with a 25-7 overall record and a 1.03 ERA, going the distance in 25 of her 35 appearances and posting seven shutouts.
Thanks to a pair of double-digit strikeout performances in the final Big West series of the season at Hawai'i, Yanez established a new benchmark for single-season strikeouts in the program's Division I history with 273 — a total that also ranks third on the school's all-time list and eighth in Big West history — while her 18 strikeouts in the series opener against Hawai'i tied Jessica Hancock's Division I school single-game record (also against the Rainbow Wahine) in 2009.
Along the way, Yanez established new program Division single-season records for ERA, strikeouts per seven innings (9.38), and victories, while ending the regular season ranked among the top 30 in the NCAA in ERA (No. 6), strikeouts (No. 7), strikeouts per seven innings (No. 14), wins (No. 14), fewest hits allowed per seven innings (No. 26), and shutouts (No. 28).
Among the Big West leaders, Yanez led the league in ERA, strikeouts, complete games, shutouts, and wins, while standing second in batting average against (.179), innings pitched (203.2), strikeouts looking (45), fewest runs allowed (44), and fewest earned runs allowed (30).
While Yanez dominated in the circle, UC Davis also wrapped up its most successful Division I campaign to date, finishing the year with a 39-14 overall record and a 13-8 mark in Big West play to finish third. Among the numerous individual marks, this year's version of the Aggies set nine school Division I single-season records at the plate, new marks for both winning (.736) and fielding percentage (.970), and three more in the circle.
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO
Launched in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.