LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Cypress College led the way with three honorees, while Sierra College, College of San Mateo and Antelope Valley College each had two selections as the NFCA announced the 2017 NFCA CalJC All-American teams on Monday afternoon.
Additionally, Mt. San Antonio’s Taylor Jaurique was selected Diamond Catcher of the Year and Kasey Hutton of Santa Ana College was named New Balance/NFCA Golden Shoe Award recipient.
Cypress and Antelope Valley received multiple honors in the South Region, while Sierra and San Mateo paced the North. The trio leading the way for the top-ranked and undefeated Chargers are pitcher Destiny Vasquez, infielder Sydney McCollum and outfielder Melanie Okazaki. Vasquez is undefeated at 24-0 with a 1.36 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 144.1 innings of work, while holding her opponents to a .202 average. Her victories rank her tied for fourth in the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA). She also helps herself at the plate, hitting. 350 with 10 doubles, six homers and 44 RBI. McCollum, a freshman shortstop, is batting .419 with 57 hits, 15 doubles, four triples, a homer, team-high 45 RBI, while stealing 24 bases in 27 attempts. Okazaki leads the squad with a .474 average, 63 hits, 18 doubles and 58 runs scored. She has posted a .692 slugging percentage, .578 on-base percentage (32 walks) and 30 stolen bases in 30 attempts.
Infielder Paige Johnson and outfielder Valerie Dorantes garner All-American accolades for Antelope Valley. Johnson is batting a robust .577 (75-for-130) with 17 doubles, 22 home runs, 97 RBI, 68 runs and a 1.348 slugging percentage. Her homers, RBI and slugging lead all of the CCCAA, while her average is fourth overall. Dorantes comes in at .439 with eight doubles, three triples, three long balls and 58 runs scored.
Infielder Rylie Carlier and utility player Kaone Hunter have keyed Sierra College to a 34-8 mark in 2017. Carlier is hitting a team-best .465 with nine doubles, 10 homers a team-high 52 RBI and has scored 37 times. Her team-best 26 walks have attributed to her .556 on-base percentage. The versatile Hunter comes in at .410 with a team-best 10 doubles and 11 round trippers. She has registered 57 hits, 33 runs, 36 RBI and a .748 slugging percentage.
College of San Mateo freshmen Gabriella Zuchiattia and Allie Stines pace the Bulldogs. Zuchiattia ranks sixth in the CCCAA with a .556 batting average and seventh with 56 RBI. She is tied for 11th with a team-high 16 doubles and also tops the team with eight homers, .566 on-base percentage and .927 slugging percentage. Stines is hitting .453 with 62 hits, including a CCCAA-best 21 doubles, and has scored 48 runs and tripled three times.
Jaurique and Hutton also earned All-American status. Jaurique leads the Mountie’s with a .477 average, 51 hits, 10 home runs, 44 RBI, 35 runs scored, .907 slugging percentage and .517 on-base percentage. Tabbed the CalJC’s top catcher, Jaurique did not commit an error in 190 chances, while keeping runners at bay. Only 12 opponents attempted to steal on Jaurique, who threw out four of them.
Hutton was tabbed CalJC’s top base stealer as she totaled 51 thefts and was only caught three times all season. She earned All-American status at the utility position, batting .471 with 66 hits, six doubles, four triples and 41 runs scored, while posting a .510 on-base percentage.
Jade Nua of Citrus College and Santiago Canyon College’s Manoa Weijgertse finish up the South Region infielders. Nua finds a way to get on base, drawing a CCCAA-best 42 walks for a eye-popping .725 on-base percentage. Additionally, she ranks in the top-10 with a .582 average (3rd), 16 homers (4th), 62 RBI (6th) and 57 runs scored (t-8th). Weijgertse is hitting .471 with a team-best 18 doubles (t-4th CCCAA) 66 hits, five home runs, 49 RBI, 57 runs (t-8th CCCAA) and a .550 on-base percentage.
The only returning All-American is El Camino College’s Raelani Camez, who is hitting .432 with a league-best 10 triples, while stealing 34 bases, which is sixth in the league. She also has seven doubles, 26 RBI and 51 runs scored.
In the Northern region, Nalani Scates of Ohlone College was the pitching honoree. She ran away with the strikeout crown in the CCCAA, fanning 320 batters (9.23 per 7 IP), 79 more than her closest competitor. At 25-2, Scates was ranked third in wins and owned the CCCAA’s third lowest ERA at 1.04.
Joining Carlier in the infield are Chelsea Martinez of Cosumnes River College, Sharona Mataele of Foothill College and Jamie Sugimoto of Cabrillo College. Martinez knocked in the third most runs in the CCCAA with 65, while posting a .431 average, eight doubles, a triple, a team-best 11 home runs and a .522 on-base percentage. Mataele ranks second in the CCCAA with 69 hits, third with 20 doubles and is fifth with a .556 average. She also has two triples, five long balls and 47 runs scored. Sugimoto slugged her way into an All-American honor, posting the league’s fourth-best percentage at 1.040, doubling 14 times, recording four triples and leaving the yard on 10 occasions. She also hit .525 with 53 hits, 40 RBI and 44 runs scored.
Rounding out the North Region are outfielders Kaitlin Shipman of Hartnell College and College of Redwoods, Shyann Ubedei. Shipman leads the Lady Panthers with a .476 average, 14 doubles, 45 RBI, .507 on-base percentage and .795 slugging percentage. She also recorded 60 hits, eight homers and 39 runs. Ubedei is tops on her squad with a .455 batting average, 51 hits, 12 doubles and 37 runs scored. Additionally, she owns the Corsairs’ best on-base percentage at .504, while registering 11 stolen bases.
2017 CalJC All-Americans
North Region
Rylie Carlier Sierra College Infield
Chelsea Martinez Cosumnes River College Infield
Sharona Mataele Foothill College Infield
Jamie Sugimoto Cabrillo College Infield
Kaitlin Shipman Hartnell College Outfield
Shyann Ubedei College of the Redwoods Outfield
Gabriella Zuchiatti College of San Mateo Outfield
Allie Stines College of San Mateo Catcher
Kaone Hunter Sierra College Utility
South Region
Destiny Vasquez Cypress College Pitcher
Paige Johnson Antelope Valley College Infield
Sydney McCollum Cypress College Infield
Jade Nua Citrus College Infield
Manoa Weijgertse Santiago Canyon College Infield
Raelani Camez El Camino College Outfield
Valerie Dorantes Antelope Valley College Outfield
Melanie Okazaki Cypress College Outfield
Taylor Jaurique Mt. San Antonio College Catcher
Kasey Hutton Santa Ana College Utility
# – Denotes Diamond Sports Catcher of the Year; $ – Denotes New Balance/NFCA Golden Shoe Award