WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - Four members of the UC San Diego softball team earned All-California Collegiate Athletic Association honors, conference officials announced Wednesday. With the league's coaches completing the award voting at the conclusion of the regular season, sophomore right-hander Camille Gaito was selected as Co-Pitcher of the Year.
Gaito, Kris Lesovsky and Nicole Saari earned spots on the All-CCAA First Team while freshman Nicole Spangler was selected to be part of the All-CCAA Second Team.
A native of San Rafael, Calif., Gaito is the only pitcher in the conference to hold an earned run average under one (0.96) and leads the league in innings pitched with 182. Her ERA ranks seventh nationally at the Division II level and her eight shutouts on the season rank 14th. In 2009, Gaito earned a spot on the Daktronics Division II All-West Region Second Team.
Lesovsky leads the CCAA in most of the major offensive categories, including batting average (.413), on-base percentage (.486), slugging percentage (.738) and total bases (118), not to mention a perfect fielding percentage of 1.000. She has 10 homeruns on the season while batting mostly out of the leadoff spot in the UCSD lineup. Last season, Lesovsky was named the CCAA Newcomer of the Year and placed on the All-CCAA First Team en route to also being selected as a Louisville Slugger/NFCA and Daktronics All-American.
Saari, a senior catcher out of Roseville, Calif., is earning conference honors for the third time in her four-year career. In 2007 she was selected as CCAA Freshman of the Year and named to the All-CCAA First Team. As a junior in 2009, Saari was placed on the All-CCAA Second Team before earning Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division II All-Region Second Team honors. Ranked third all-time in fielding percentage on the Tritons' leaderboard with a .991 mark, Saari has put together another strong year behind the plate by fielding .992 in 2010. She ranks second on the UCSD squad in hitting (.371), doubles (11), runs batted in (27), total bases (69), on-base percentage (.425) and slugging percentage (.457).
Spangler has put together an impressive freshman campaign, posting a .283 batting average while hitting mostly out of the cleanup spot in the order. Her 21 walks is second on the team and helped raise her on-base percentage to .383. The Kirkland, Wash., native has started in 42 of UCSD's 50 games, the most among all Triton newcomers.
In the other notable awards for the CCAA this season, Emily McEwen of Cal State Dominguez Hills was named Most Valuable Player and Britney Butler of Cal State San Bernardino was selected as Freshman of the Year. Cal State Monterey Bay's Diane Ortiz earned Co-Pitcher of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors.
