Softball team garners academic honors, Wright named All-America
Several members of the San Jacinto College softball team have been recognized for their success off the field, and sophomore short stop Arriana Wright (Spring / College Park HS) has been selected as a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American.
Twelve student-athletes were named to the Region XIV all-Academic team, including Wright and fellow sophomores Mia McLeer (Humble / Atascocita HS), Maggie Evans (Missouri City / Elkins HS), Kristina Nash (Woodville / Woodville HS), Chloe Perez (League City / Clear Springs HS), Kiren Diaz (Pasadena / Memorial HS), Kylie Hernandez (Bryan / Bryan HS), Chloe Foster (Alvin / Alvin HS); and freshmen Clarissa Ramirez (Houston / Dobie HS), Iliana Melendez (Seabrook / Clear Lake HS), Emma Pierce (Dayton / Dayton HS), and Ashleigh Heiderscheit (Georgetown / Liberty Hill HS).
NFCA all-American Scholar Athlete recognition went to Wright, Heiderscheit, Piece, Melendez, Diaz, Nash, Hernandez, Evans and McLeer.
As a team, San Jacinto College maintained a 3.338 GPA.
“While winning on the field is important, I am extremely proud of this team for what they accomplished off the field,” said Head Coach Kelly Saenz, who just finished her 20th year at the helm of the program. “We know that their academic preparation is going to take them far in their education after San Jac, and well past their softball careers, so I applaud the entire team for their focus and dedication to their academics.”
Wright, the two-time conference and Region XIV player of the year, was named to the NFCA second-team all-America and is a NJCAA first-team all-America selection. She led all San Jac hitters with a .476 average this season. In 185 at-bats she had 88 hits, including 28 doubles (2nd best in the nation), one triple, and a team-best 15 home runs. She also scored 80 runs, while posting a team-high 73 RBI.
Last month it was announced that Wright was named first-team all-South Conference and was a first-team all-Region XIV selection. She has committed to continue her education and softball career at Grand Canyon University next year.
The Ravens finished the season as co-conference champions with a 42-25 overall record and earned a berth in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Softball World Series for a seventh time in school history, where they finished 10th overall.
