Pacific Coast Softball Conference

PORTLAND – Saint Mary’s head coach Jessica Hanaseth, sophomore right-hander Britany Linton and senior catcher Jenna Smith earned top individual honors for the Pacific Coast Softball Conference Coastal Division, after leading the Gaels to their first-ever PCSC title, the conference office announced Monday. Hanseth earned Coastal Division Coach of the Year, Linton was an unanimous selection for Pitcher of the Year and Smith earned Co-Player of the Year.

Linton and sophomore outfielder Michelle Mounts were also unanimous first team All-Coastal Division selections, while Smith earned second team honors as a catcher, in a vote of the PCSC’s six Coastal Division head coaches. Sophomore pitcher Jessica Lemmon also earned second team honors for Saint Mary’s. Four Gaels also earned honorable mention accolades in senior utility player Kat Delpit, sophomore second baseman Kayla Gonzales, junior outfielder Tiffany Gonzales and sophomore shortstop Rebecca Sabatini.

Loyola Marymount sophomore shortstop Sam Fischer, who set a school and PCSC single-season home run record, was named Co-Player of the Year with Smith. Sacramento State third baseman Erin Jones was named Freshman of the Year, giving the Hornets their second consecutive Freshman of the Year honoree.

In her sixth season at the helm, Hanaseth has led Saint Mary’s to a school-record 30 wins and an NCAA Regional berth. The Gaels will carry a 30-21 overall record into the NCAA Regionals. Saint Mary’s won the Coastal Division with a 14-4 PCSC record and then won two games on Saturday to beat Mountain Division champion Portland State two games-to-one in the inaugural PCSC Championship Series.

Linton led the PCSC in wins this season, carrying a 17-11 mark into the NCAA Tournament. She is also second in the conference with a 2.46 ERA and her .252 batting-average-against ranks third.

Smith is hitting .288 with eight home runs and 34 RBI. She ranks seventh in the PCSC in home runs and eighth in RBI. In 18 PCSC games, Smith batted .304 with four home runs and 18 RBI.

Fischer batted .376 with 16 home runs and 38 RBI to share Co-Player of the Year honors. Her 16 home runs eclipsed the school and PCSC single-season home run mark of 15 set by Loyola Marymount’s Danielle Kaminaka in 2004. Through her sophomore year, Fischer is tied for seventh on the PCSC career home run chart with 27, 11 shy of Kaminaka’s career mark of 38. Fischer was a second team selection at third base in 2009.

Jones led the Hornets hit .391 with eight home runs and 40 RBI to lead the Hornets in all three categories. She ranked fifth in the PCSC in batting and RBI and tied for seventh in home runs. Desiree Beltran earned PCSC Freshman of the Year honors for Sacramento State in 2009.

This is the first year the PCSC has named both an All-Coastal and All-Mountain Division squad, as the conference expanded to 12 teams in 2010 and split into two, six-team divisions. CSU Bakersfield, Loyola Marymount, Sacramento State, Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara and San Diego form the Coastal Division.

The Mountain Division team will be named Tuesday. Idaho State, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Seattle, Utah Valley and Weber State comprise the Mountain Division.

2010 PCSC ALL-COASTAL DIVISION TEAM

FIRST TEAM

SECOND TEAM

HONORABLE MENTION: Marissa Navarro (SO, C), Sacramento State; Darcy Pagnini (SR, C), Loyola Marymount; Kayla Gonzales (SO, 2B), Saint Mary's; Rebecca Sabatini (SO, SS), Saint Mary's; Kelli Frye (FR, OF), Sacramento State; Tiffany Gonzales (JR, OF), Saint Mary's; Jill McClelland (SO, OF), CSU Bakersfield; Kat Delpit (SR, UTL), Saint Mary's; Melissa Dykema (SR, P), Loyola Marymout; Kaitlin Healy (SO, P), San Diego.

CO-PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: Sam Fischer (SO, SS), Loyola Marymount, Jenna Smith (SR, C), Saint Mary's

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Britany Linton (SO), Saint Mary's

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Erin Jones (3B), Sacramento State

COACH OF THE YEAR: Jessica Hanaseth, Saint Mary's

* - Unanimous selection

# - Tie