May 15, 2013
STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford first baseman Kayla Bonstrom has been named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, today, when the conference announced its postseason awards. The Cardinal had 10 players honored on the all-conference teams.
Bonstrom becomes the third Cardinal player to earn Freshman of the Year honors, joining Jessica Mendoza ('99) and Ashley Hansen ('09). The Tucson, Ariz., native was also selected to the All-Pac-12 First Team and the All-Pac-12 Freshman Team.
Joining Bonstrom on the First Team was senior shortstop Jenna Rich. Sophomore Hanna Winter was named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team, while seniors Teagan Gerhart and Sarah Hassman, sophomores Cassandra Roulund and Leah White, and freshman Jessica Plaza were honorable mention honorees.
Bonstrom, Plaza and Kelsey Stevens were named to the All-Pac-12 Freshman Team, while Kaitlin Schaberg earned honorable mention.
Bonstrom leads the team and ranks third in the Pac-12 with a .414 batting average. She also paces the team in doubles (11) and slugging percentage (.650), and is tied for the team-lead in RBI (51). Her eight home runs on the year is tied for the second-most on the squad. She is also the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week.
Rich is a four-time all-conference selection and a repeat member of the first team. The El Segundo, Calif., native is hitting .306 on the season and leads the team with 12 home runs and 51 RBI. Her 12 home runs ties her freshman year output and is tied for the 10th-most in a single season in school history. Rich became the Cardinal's career RBI leader after hitting a three-run homer at Cal on May 3. She also ranks in the top-10 in career batting average, hits, triples, slugging percentage, home runs and runs scored.
Hanna Winter is a two-time all-conference pick, earning first team honors in 2012. The Camarillo, Calif., native is second on the team with a .354 batting average and ranks second in the Pac-12 with 68 hits. She has also tallied four triples on the year, tied for the sixth-most in a single season in program history. A lefty slapper, Winter also registered her first career home run this season.
Gerhart is a four-time all-conference honoree, earning first team accolades as a sophomore in 2011. She leads the team with a 19-11 overall record and a 2.53 ERA. She ranks in the top-10 all-time at Stanford in career ERA (2.22), wins (99), strikeouts (766), shutouts (29) and innings pitched (906.1).
An All-Freshman selection in 2009, Hassman is a two-time all-conference pick having earned second team honors in 2011. She is the team-leader in walks (30) and stolen bases (17) this season. She also has two home runs and 19 RBI. Stanford's career stolen base leader, the Cupertino, Calif., native is 99-for-107 in her career.
White is also a two-time all-conference pick, receiving second team honors last season. A native of Phoenix, Ariz., White is hitting .324 and is tied for third on the team with 55 hits. Her 10 doubles in tied for second on the squad, while she also has two home runs and 25 RBI.
Roulund is picking up her first all-conference accolades after being named an All-Freshman honorable mention selection a year ago. The Trabuco Canyon, Calif., native is hitting .306 and is tied for second on the squad with 10 doubles and eight home runs. She leads the Pac-12 this season with six triples, which is tied for the second-most in a single season in school history.
Plaza, the team's starting catcher, leads the Cardinal with 256 putouts, boasts a .993 fielding percentage and has thrown out five players from behind the plate. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native is hitting .267 on the season with six doubles, a triple and a pair of home runs to go with 18 RBI.
Stevens, a native of Albuquerque, N.M., leads Stanford this season with 159 strikeouts. The rookie threw just the 10th perfect game in school history on Feb. 23 against Virginia, and was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week and the NFCA National Player of the Week for her efforts. She has notched seven shutouts on the season and is holding opponents to a .198 batting average.
Schaberg, who hails from Lee's Summit, Mo., has started 33 games for the Cardinal this season. She is hitting .236 and has racked up 21 hits, including a double and two home runs, and 10 RBI. She has also drawn 14 walks and holds a .352 on-base percentage.
Arizona State's Amber Freeman was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year, while Oregon's Jessica Moore and Mike White were the Pitcher of the Year and the Coach of the Year, respectively. Washington catcher Shawna Wright was the Defensive Player of the Year. Oregon's Alexa Peterson earned the conference's batting title.
Stanford opens the 2013 NCAA Tournament against Tulsa in the Lincoln Regional on Friday, May 17. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT at Bowlin Stadium. The winner will face the winner of the Nebraska-Northern Iowa game on Saturday.