Four Cougars earn NFCA All-Pacific Region honors

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The National Fastpitch Coaches Association has announced that BYU junior Libby Sugg and freshman Bridget Fleener have received 2018 All-NFCA Division I All-Pacific Region Second Team honors with sophomores Kerisa Viramontes and Rylee Jensen making the third team.

The Cougars received four all-region nods for the third time, also doing so last year and in 2012. Sugg was a first team selection last season and this is Jensen’s second-consecutive third-team award.

As voted on by the coaches from each respective region, 389 student-athletes from 164 programs have received 2018 NFCA Division I All-Region accolades. The awards honor softball student-athletes from the Association’s 10 regions with first-, second- and third-team selections.

Sugg’s second all-region honor comes after a strong junior campaign. She was named to the All-West Coast Conference First Team and is a three-time WCC Player of the Week. Sugg is also a member of the WCC All-Academic Team this season. She leads the team in several categories, including batting average (.423), RBI (64), hits (63), doubles (13) and home runs (11).

Fleener began making an impact on the field early in her BYU career, earning WCC Freshman of the Year and All-WCC First Team honors. She hit a triple against Nebraska in her first at-bat as a Cougar and went 3 for 4 at the plate with a double and three RBI against in-state rival Utah. She is currently batting .378 after hitting six doubles, two triples and four home runs.

The WCC Co-Pitcher of the Year, Viramontes also earned All-WCC Second Team honors and was a two-time WCC Pitcher of the Week. For the season, she posted a record of 19-6 with a 2.05 ERA, including a 1.37 ERA in conference play. Viramontes also recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts twice this season in wins over New Mexico and James Madison.

In addition to her all-region nod, Jensen was named the 2018 WCC Player of the Year and to the All-WCC First Team. She also earned WCC Player of the Week after batting .421 in six games and scoring 10 runs on eight hits, including five home runs and one triple. Jensen also collected seven RBI that week in games against Longwood, James Madison, Hawai'i, East Carolina and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. She robbed a would-be walk-off home run in the ninth inning against LSU, making the #SCTop10 at No. 9. Jensen also went 3 for 4 at the plate with one run and a double against Utah.

The Cougars play today against Drake in the NCAA Eugene Regional. The game begins at 3 p.m. PDT and can be streamed on WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app.