BYU wins three WCC awards, tabs nine on All-WCC teams

SAN MATEO, Calif. — BYU softball took three of the five major WCC awards and had nine players named to All-WCC teams, the league announced on Tuesday.

First baseman Huntyr Ava was awarded the conference’s Player of the Year award, while shortstop Ailana Agbayani was named Defensive Player of the Year and catcher Hailey Morrow was honored as the Freshman of the Year.

Agbayani, Ava, pitcher Kaysen Korth and center fielder Violet Zavodnik received All-WCC First Team honors, with left fielder Maddie Bejarano, third baseman Martha Epenesa, Morrow, pitcher Chloe Temples and infielder Tristen Turlington being named to the All-WCC Second Team.

Ava led both the team and the conference with 46 RBI and 14 home runs. She ranked No. 9 in the nation averaging 1.15 RBI per game and No. 14 with 0.35 home runs per game. Her .350 batting average and .767 slugging percentage are also team-highs. 

Agbayani has the second-best batting average on the team, at .329, and has scored the second-most as well, with 34. With a .952 fielding percentage, she has also pitched 31 2/3 innings in the circle for the Cougars, posting a 2.21 ERA with five wins and 26 strikeouts.

Morrow has recorded a .314 batting average and is second on the team with a .603 slugging percentage, 38 RBI, 21 walks drawn and nine home runs. Behind the dish, she has a .994 fielding percentage on 333 total chances, catching 12 runners stealing this season.

Korth's 18 victories are also a team and conference-high. She has posted a 2.40 ERA in 160 1/3 innings of work, with 175 strikeouts. Tied for second-most with nine homers, Zavodnik has tallied 36 RBI on the year. She is 9-for-10 on stolen bases and boasts a perfect fielding percentage in center field.

Bejarano is batting .300 and leads the team with 25 total walks. Starting all 48 games, she also has a team-high 12 sacrifice bunts and ranks No. 15 in the country with a 0.26 per game average. Epenesa has hit five home runs this season on a .269 average, tallying 18 RBI and a .462 slugging percentage. At third base, she has a .970 fielding percentage.

Temples has tossed 106 strikeouts in 101 1/3 innings pitched, with a 3.80 ERA. She has picked up seven wins and has also gone the distance seven times this season. Turlington has been a force late for BYU, hitting .353 and slugging .627 in 21 games played. She has totaled 15 RBI, including a 3-home run doubleheader that featured a grand slam and walk-off homer.

The Cougars' season will continue at the National Invitational Softball Championship this week, beginning with a Thursday afternoon matchup against San José State at 1 p.m. MDT.