The honors are piling up for Santa Catalina grad Jessica Clements, who was named the Big West Conference Player of the Year in softball for Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
With a year of eligibility left, the Mustangs all-time leading hitter was also chosen to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-West Region team for the third straight year.
Clements becomes just the third player in school history to be named to the All-West Region team three straight years.
The former Santa Catalina standout led the Mustangs this past season in hitting (.464), hits (71), runs scored (35), extra base hits (20), steals (13) and on-base percentage (.526). She was second in walks (18) and third in RBI (23).
Clements finished fourth among NCAA Division I hitters in hitting, and was 15th in the nation in on-base percentage.
The center fielder led the Big West in total bases (105) and slugging percentage (.686), compiling 23 multi-hit games. She is currently second all-time in Big West history in hitting (.416).
The Mustangs’ leadoff hitter, Clements also finished with a .988 fielding percentage in the outfield, committing just one error in 81 attempts.
Clements’ batting average didn’t dip below .500 until the Mustangs (28-17) were 31 games into their season.
Teammate and former North Salinas outfielder Jade Contapay appeared in 32 games for Cal Poly, mostly as a pinch runner, scoring 15 runs.
Locals in baseball regionals for Oregon State
Eric Segura and Jabin Trosky have made significant impacts this spring for nationally ranked Oregon State, which hosted one of the NCAA Regional baseball tournaments this past weekend.
Segura, a true freshman, has been one of the Beavers aces, sharing the team lead in starts (14) and wins (6) for the No. 6 ranked team in the nation.
The 6-foot-2 Soledad High graduate has 69 strikeouts in 61 innings with a 4.61 earned run average.
Trosky, who returned after missing last season with an injury, has started 27 games between shortstop and third base, hitting .292 for the Beavers.
The Carmel product and redshirt sophom*ore has 31 hits and has scored 21 runs, with a homer and 20 runs batted in, compiling a .370 on-base percentage and a .968 fielding percentage.
Oregon State (42-12) went 24-2 at home this year.
Former Notre Dame star completes season at Central Florida
Notre Dame High grad Samantha Rey saw extensive action in 40 of the University of Central Florida’s 56 games. The season ended when Central Florida was eliminated at the NCAA Tallahassee Regionals.
A unanimous selection to the Big-12 all-freshman team, the infielder/outfielder hit .321 in 20 starts for Central Florida.
Rey scored 15 runs, while driving in five for Central Florida. She also compiled a .935 fielding percentage.
Having prepped at Notre Dame in Salinas, Rey was the Herald’s Softball Player of the Year in 2022 and an all-state first team selection.
Former RLS star injured at Villanova
Stevenson grad Trent Toole had started all 31 games for the Villanova University baseball team before a hand injury ended his freshman season.
The Herald’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2023, Toole moved to second base this year for the Wildcats, compiling a .958 fielding percentage.
At the plate, the right-handed slugger was fifth on the team in on-base percentage at .370, and fourth in hit-by-pitches (8).
Toole finished with a .240 batting average, collecting 25 hits, scoring 16 runs, while driving in 10 runs. He was four-of-five in stolen bases.
Toole became just the third player last year to earn all-county honors in football, basketball and baseball, joining Carmel’s Devin Pearson and John Stivers.
Local runner competes in NCAA Division II nationals
North Salinas grad Sofia Camacho finished 16th in the nation in the 800 meters at the NCAA Division II national track and field championships for Azusa Pacific.
The former North Salinas High and Hartnell College distance ace ran a career-best 2 minutes, 7.80 seconds in the 800 two weeks earlier to earn an invitation to the national championship meet.
Camacho’s top marks this past spring for Azusa Pacific included 4:26.13 in the 1,500 and 17:00.63 in the 5,000.
Camacho was a state champion in the 800 at Hartnell and the runner-up in the 1,500, earning All-America honors in both track and field and cross-country.
Coaches needed
Alisal is looking for a head boys wrestling coach. Contact jose.gil@salinashsd.org or call 831-796-7600. Three letters of recommendation are required.
Carmel is looking for a varsity cross-country coach, a varsity girls volleyball coach, a varsity girls basketball coach and a varsity girls water polo coach. Apply at www.carmelunified.org.
North Salinas is looking for a field hockey coach, a varsity flag football coach and a varsity boys volleyball coach. Contact jeankinn.ashen@salinasuhsd.org.
Salinas is looking for a girls’ junior varsity volleyball coach. Contact Chloe Goldman at 831-776-0304.
Marina is looking for a varsity girls volleyball coach, a varsity boys volleyball coach, a varsity baseball coach and a varsity girls flag football coach. Go to www.edjoin.org/MPUSD.
Hartnell College basketball camps
Hartnell College will host a series of youth basketball camps. The Panthers’ men’s staff and players will conduct a co-ed camp for ages 5-14 from June 10-13 from 9 a.m. to noon.
The Hartnell women’s team and staff will hold a co-ed camp for ages 5-14 from June 17-20 from 9 a.m. to noon, with an elite girl’s camp slated for June 17-20 for ages 12-18 from 12:30-3:30 p.m.
For more information, contact jvenegas@hartnell.edu or call 831-755-6830.
