DAVIS, Calif. -- Right-handed pitcher Kenedi Brown earned a spot on the All-Big West Conference first team and All-Freshman squad, leading a quartet of UC Davis honorees as the league announced its year-end awards Wednesday morning. Second baseman Sommer Kisling and shortstop Isabella Leon made the second team, while first baseman Sarah Starks garnered both honorable mention and All-Freshman accolades.

Brown, a second-year human development major, struck out a conference-high 174 batters while posting a 2.69 ERA and opposing batting average of .245 during the 2021 season. The Elk Grove product fired two shutouts during the season – at Sacramento State on March 4 and at Hawai'i last Thursday – while fanning at least 10 batters on five occasions. Brown finished her season on a high note last weekend: 26 strikeouts and one earned run allowed in a pair of complete-game wins against the Rainbow Wahine.

Starks, a second-year communication major from Gilroy, became the first UC Davis softball player in the program's Division I era (2008-present) to reach double-digit home runs. Through the end of the regular season, she shares the Big West lead with those 10 homers while ranking third in RBI (34). Starks batted 39-for-133 (.293) for the season with a team-leading .526 slugging average. In the 24 conference games, she hit .316/.402/.526 with five homers and 40 total bases.

One of two fifth-year seniors who opted to return for 2021, Leon overcame a preseason injury to lead the Aggies in batting (.350), doubles (12) and OPS (.919), while ranking second on the team with eight stolen bases. This is the third All-Big West award for the cognitive science major, adding to her 2019 second-team nod and 2018 honorable mention. Leon finished her career with r totals of 178-for-568 (.313), 32 doubles, 16 homers, 113 runs, 81 RBI, .4718 slugging and 25 stolen bases. She is the program's Div. I-era leader in homers and runs, while ranking among the Aggies' all-time career leaders in runs (6th), doubles (6th) and homers (T8th).

Kisling has started 116 of UC Davis' 119 games at second base during the past three years, and in fact played every out at that position in 2021. At the plate, the third-year human development major from Torrance led the Aggies with 27 runs scored and 53 hits with a .346 average. Kisling was also the toughest Aggie to strike out, fanning just seven times in 168 plate appearances, and enjoyed a team-leading 17 multi-hit games. In the 24 Big West games, she improved to .360 with 16 runs. 

This marks the second time UC Davis has boasted multiple All-Freshman Team honorees. Pitcher Brooke Yanez and outfielder Alyse Rojas claimed the awards in 2018. The Big West inaugurated the category in 2018.

UC Davis finished the year with a 19-24 overall record and finished third in the Big West standings at 13-11, despite a 15-person roster with 10 freshmen.

2021 ALL-BIG WEST CONFERENCE - SOFTBALL

Player of the Year: Kelsie Whitmore, Cal State Fullerton
Pitcher of the Year: Kellie White, Long Beach State
Defensive Player of the Year: Julia Valenzuela, Cal State Fullerton
Freshman Field Player of the Year: Hannah Becerra, Cal State Fullerton
Freshman Pitcher of the Year: Shannon Haddad, Long Beach State
Coach of the Year: Kim Sowder, Long Beach State

FIRST TEAM
Hailey Martin, Cal Poly
Hannah Becerra, Cal State Fullerton
Sophie Frost, Cal State Fullerton
KK Humphreys, Cal State Fullerton
Daisy Munoz, Cal State Fullerton
Julia Valenzuela, Cal State Fullerton
Kelsie Whitmore, Cal State Fullerton
Suzy Brookshire, Long Beach State
Alyssa Gonzalez, Long Beach State
Shannon Haddad, Long Beach State
Naomi Hernandez, Long Beach State
Kellie White, Long Beach State
Breezy Wise, Long Beach State
Kenedi Brown, UC Davis
Madelyn McNally, UC Santa Barbara

SECOND TEAM
Maddie Amos, Cal Poly
Megan Delgadillo, Cal State Fullerton
Nawai Kaupe, Hawai'i
Maya Nakamura, Hawai'i
Angelique Ramos, Hawai'i
Brittnee Rossi, Hawai'i
Sommer Kisling, UC Davis
Isabella Leon, UC Davis
Bobbi Aguirre, UC San Diego
Robyn Wampler, UC San Diego
Gabby Williams, UC San Diego
Sammy Fabian, UC Santa Barbara
Teah Thies, UC Santa Barbara

HONORABLE MENTION
Lily Amos, Cal Poly
Sarah Wulff, Cal Poly
Irie Siofele, Cal St. Fullerton
Peyton Toto, Cal State Fullerton
Jaymi Steward, CSUN
Kenedee Jamerson, CSUN
Dallas Milwood, Hawai'i
Justine Briones, Long Beach State
Lilyanna Martinez, Long Beach State
Emily Salazar, Long Beach State
Sarah Starks, UC Davis
Lauryn Garewal, UC Riverside
Keila Bosinger, UC San Diego
Sherriah Harrington, UC San Diego
Rayna Cohen, UC Santa Barbara
Maci Fines, UC Santa Barbara
Emily Schuttish, UC Santa Barbara

ALL-FRESHMAN
Hannah Becerra, Cal State Fullerton
Megan Delgadillo, Cal State Fullerton
KK Humphreys, Cal State Fullerton
Peyton Toto, Cal State Fullerton
Maya Nakamura, Hawai'i
Shannon Haddad, Long Beach State
Kenedi Brown, UC Davis
Sarah Starks, UC Davis
Gabby Williams, UC San Diego
Madelyn McNally, UC Santa Barbara
 

ABOUT UC DAVIS:
Centrally located between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, over 700 student-athletes across 25 teams enjoy an unrivaled undergraduate experience at the fifth-ranked public school in the country.

Ranked annually in the nation's top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, UC Davis and its innovative Aggie EVO system helps student-athletes develop passions, connect with a comprehensive network of alums and industry leaders, gain real-world experience and thrive as a young professional following a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school.