Verdugo Named to WSC North First Team

By Jimmy Friery

The Western State Conference (WSC) announced its individual honorees for Softball last week, with sophomore third baseman Gracie Verdugo as Santa Barbara's representative on the North division's First Team.

Verdugo, a San Marcos graduate, led the team in both average (.444) and on-base percentage (.500). Her .641 slugging percentage was good for second, as were her 14 extra-base hits. With great plate discipline, she walked more than she struck out (12:11).

A trio of freshmen—Bella Cox, Ruby Bartholomew, and Sammi Korte—each made the Second Team.

Cox, the team's primary leadoff hitter, was also an excellent base-stealer. She stole 21 bags on the year—good for fourth in the WSC North—while only getting caught four times. Her .392 average and .448 on-base percentage were both in the top four on the team.

Bartholomew's 14 extra-base hits were tied with Verdugo for second on the team. She led the team with 17 walks compared with only nine strikeouts, amounting to a .451 on-base percentage. As one of the team's primary pitchers, she logged 99.2 innings and won nine games.

Korte was the most-used pitcher on the team, winning seven games while pitching 120 innings. Offensively, she led the team in doubles (10), triples (seven), homers (four), RBIs (40), and slugging percentage (.758). Naturally, she looks to be a huge part of next year's Vaqueros.

Sophomore Mia Gaitan rounded out the Vaqueros' honorees as an Honorable Mention. She played in 37 games, primarily at shortstop, hitting .374/.430/.504 while stealing 12 bases.