TEMPE, Ariz. -- Seven Sun Devil softball student-athletes have been named to All-Pac-12 Teams, highlighted by second-year head coach Trisha Ford being named the Pac-12 Softball Coach of the Year, the league office announced Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore G Juarez and freshman Danielle Gibson each earned All-Pac-12 First Team honors, while Jade Gortarez, Morgan Howe and Kindra Hackbarth each earned Second Team recognition. Senior Marisa Stankiewicz was named to the All-Pac-12 Third Team, while freshman DeNae Chatman joined Gibson in earning All-Pac-12 Freshman Team accolades.
Juarez, a Top-10 Finalist for USA Softball's Player of the Year Award, has been incredible all season in the circle for ASU. The Glendale, Ariz. native struck out a Pac-12 leading 276 batters while maintaining a pristine 0.92 ERA on the year, a mark that is nearly a full two points lower than her ERA in 2017 (2.79). Juarez has also done a masterful job in keeping opposing batters off the bases, holding hitters to just a .146 batting average in the season.
Gibson, the freshman phenom first baseman from Murrieta Calif., has been a force at the plate for the Sun Devils this season. Gibson leads the Sun Devils in numerous categories, including home runs (12), RBI (39), and slugging percentage (.675). The first year slugger burst onto the scene amassing 14 hits through the first month of the season. She went on to add to that total, securing 16 multi-hit games through the regular season.
Gortarez, an electric shortstop, earned her first All-Pac-12 honor with a Second Team selection following her first season in Tempe. Gortarez started every game for the Sun Devils, and accounted for 38 runs on 51 hits that include 34 RBI. Gortarez has also been a valuable member of the ASU infield, boasting a more than respectable respectable .940 fielding percentage heading into the 2018 postseason.
Kindra Hackbarth, a versatile outfielder, joined Gortarez on the All-Pac-12 Second Team, following a 2018 season that saw the Oakdale, Calif. native lead the team with a .363 batting average. Following back-to-back two-hit outings to start her Sun Devil career, Hackbarth has gone on to record 65 hits, including four home runs and 25 RBI. Her eight stolen bases lead the team, while her pristine .981 fielding percentage ranks in the top-five for the Sun Devils this season.
Junior Morgan Howe rounded out the All-Pac-12 Second team selections, an honor that marks her second career all-conference honor after being named to the All-Mountain West First-Team last season at Fresno State. Howe has been a welcome addition to the Sun Devil lineup, accounting for a team-leading 39 runs on 58 hits so far this season. Her ten-game hit streak earlier this year ties for the longest on the team, while her seven multi RBI games ties for third in 2018.
Stankiewicz, a redshirt senior infielder from Gilbert, Ariz., earned All-Pac-12 Third Team recognition following a season that saw her connect on a career-high nine home runs. None of her home runs were as big as her three-run shot that stood as the game-winner and sealed ASU's third win over a No. 1 ranked team this season. Stankiewicz garnered national attention earlier this year, picking up National Player of the Week honors following a week that saw the slugger connect on five hits, three home runs, in eight at-bats. Her 29 hits this season also marks a new career-high for Stankiewicz.
Freshman DeNae Chatman rounded out the Sun Devil player accolades, earning a spot on the All-Freshman Team. Chatman added a ton of power to the ASU lineup, contributing 11 extra base hits in her 36 games played in 2018. Chatman picked up her first collegiate hit in an ASU win over North Dakota, and went on to post a .284 batting average on the year.
Highlighting the Pac-12 individual awards for the sun Devils was second-year head coach Trisha Ford earning All-Pac-12 Coach of the Year accolades. In just her second year at the helm of the Sun Devil softball program, Ford has cultivated a competitive spirit that put the rest of the conference on notice. When Ford first stepped on campus, the Sun Devils were fresh off a 32-26 season that saw ASU pick up just six conference wins.
After being picked to finish sixth in the conference standings, Ford helped guide the Sun Devils to a 16-8 record in Pac-12 play earning the team its 19th top-three finish. The 43 wins by the Sun Devils in 2018 is the most since winning 46 in 2014. Ford's Pac-12 Coach of the Year honor is the third for ASU softball and adds her to an impressive list of Sun Devil Coaches to win the honor across all sports at ASU.
With the regular season behind them, the Sun Devils will learn their postseason fate tomorrow evening when the field of 64-teams are announced live on the NCAA Softball Selection show at 7 p.m. PT. The entire show will be televised by ESPN 2. Fans can follow all of the action from the 2018 postseason by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.
2018 All-Conference Honorees
Danielle Gibson (First Team, All-Freshman)
G Juarez (First Team)
Jade Gortarez (Second Team)
Kindra Hackbarth (Second Team)
Morgan Howe (Second Team)
Marisa Stankiewicz (Third Team)
DeNae Chatman (All-Freshman)
Sophomore G Juarez and freshman Danielle Gibson each earned All-Pac-12 First Team honors, while Jade Gortarez, Morgan Howe and Kindra Hackbarth each earned Second Team recognition. Senior Marisa Stankiewicz was named to the All-Pac-12 Third Team, while freshman DeNae Chatman joined Gibson in earning All-Pac-12 Freshman Team accolades.
Juarez, a Top-10 Finalist for USA Softball's Player of the Year Award, has been incredible all season in the circle for ASU. The Glendale, Ariz. native struck out a Pac-12 leading 276 batters while maintaining a pristine 0.92 ERA on the year, a mark that is nearly a full two points lower than her ERA in 2017 (2.79). Juarez has also done a masterful job in keeping opposing batters off the bases, holding hitters to just a .146 batting average in the season.
Gibson, the freshman phenom first baseman from Murrieta Calif., has been a force at the plate for the Sun Devils this season. Gibson leads the Sun Devils in numerous categories, including home runs (12), RBI (39), and slugging percentage (.675). The first year slugger burst onto the scene amassing 14 hits through the first month of the season. She went on to add to that total, securing 16 multi-hit games through the regular season.
Gortarez, an electric shortstop, earned her first All-Pac-12 honor with a Second Team selection following her first season in Tempe. Gortarez started every game for the Sun Devils, and accounted for 38 runs on 51 hits that include 34 RBI. Gortarez has also been a valuable member of the ASU infield, boasting a more than respectable respectable .940 fielding percentage heading into the 2018 postseason.
Kindra Hackbarth, a versatile outfielder, joined Gortarez on the All-Pac-12 Second Team, following a 2018 season that saw the Oakdale, Calif. native lead the team with a .363 batting average. Following back-to-back two-hit outings to start her Sun Devil career, Hackbarth has gone on to record 65 hits, including four home runs and 25 RBI. Her eight stolen bases lead the team, while her pristine .981 fielding percentage ranks in the top-five for the Sun Devils this season.
Junior Morgan Howe rounded out the All-Pac-12 Second team selections, an honor that marks her second career all-conference honor after being named to the All-Mountain West First-Team last season at Fresno State. Howe has been a welcome addition to the Sun Devil lineup, accounting for a team-leading 39 runs on 58 hits so far this season. Her ten-game hit streak earlier this year ties for the longest on the team, while her seven multi RBI games ties for third in 2018.
Stankiewicz, a redshirt senior infielder from Gilbert, Ariz., earned All-Pac-12 Third Team recognition following a season that saw her connect on a career-high nine home runs. None of her home runs were as big as her three-run shot that stood as the game-winner and sealed ASU's third win over a No. 1 ranked team this season. Stankiewicz garnered national attention earlier this year, picking up National Player of the Week honors following a week that saw the slugger connect on five hits, three home runs, in eight at-bats. Her 29 hits this season also marks a new career-high for Stankiewicz.
Freshman DeNae Chatman rounded out the Sun Devil player accolades, earning a spot on the All-Freshman Team. Chatman added a ton of power to the ASU lineup, contributing 11 extra base hits in her 36 games played in 2018. Chatman picked up her first collegiate hit in an ASU win over North Dakota, and went on to post a .284 batting average on the year.
Highlighting the Pac-12 individual awards for the sun Devils was second-year head coach Trisha Ford earning All-Pac-12 Coach of the Year accolades. In just her second year at the helm of the Sun Devil softball program, Ford has cultivated a competitive spirit that put the rest of the conference on notice. When Ford first stepped on campus, the Sun Devils were fresh off a 32-26 season that saw ASU pick up just six conference wins.
After being picked to finish sixth in the conference standings, Ford helped guide the Sun Devils to a 16-8 record in Pac-12 play earning the team its 19th top-three finish. The 43 wins by the Sun Devils in 2018 is the most since winning 46 in 2014. Ford's Pac-12 Coach of the Year honor is the third for ASU softball and adds her to an impressive list of Sun Devil Coaches to win the honor across all sports at ASU.
With the regular season behind them, the Sun Devils will learn their postseason fate tomorrow evening when the field of 64-teams are announced live on the NCAA Softball Selection show at 7 p.m. PT. The entire show will be televised by ESPN 2. Fans can follow all of the action from the 2018 postseason by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.
2018 All-Conference Honorees
Danielle Gibson (First Team, All-Freshman)
G Juarez (First Team)
Jade Gortarez (Second Team)
Kindra Hackbarth (Second Team)
Morgan Howe (Second Team)
Marisa Stankiewicz (Third Team)
DeNae Chatman (All-Freshman)