Tucson High graduate Carlie Scupin and Ironwood Ridge alum Allie Skaggs of Arizona were named to the first-ever Preseason All-Pac-12 team, announced by the conference on Wednesday.
Arizona State senior outfielder Yannira Acuña, a Salpointe Catholic graduate, and Utah utility player Ellessa Bonstrom, a CDO alum, are also part of the team.
Scupin, a junior first baseman, is coming off an All-Region season in 2022 when she hit 19 home runs to rank third on the team and 19th in single season history at Arizona. She was second on the team in batting average (.369) and slugging percentage (.765). Scupin was named to the USA Softball Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List entering the 2023 season.
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Tune in to hear Coach Lowe and the players preview the upcoming season! https://t.co/CYMxuI0C0i
— Arizona Softball (@ArizonaSoftball) February 1, 2023
Skaggs, a second baseman, enters her junior year following an All-American season that led Arizona to the Women’s College World Series for the 25th time in program history. The junior from Louisville, Ky., led the Wildcats and co-led the Pac-12 with 24 home runs in 2022. Skaggs tallied 65 hits while hitting .367 with a .797 slugging percentage last season.
Acuña set career highs in hits (64), runs (63), home runs (14), doubles (19), RBIs (43), and batting average (.430) last season with the Sun Devils. She led the team in hits, runs, doubles and batting average and was second in slugging percentage (.852) and on-base percentage (.562) for the second straight year. She was named Softball America’s NCAA most improved player for the 2022 season.
YANNIRA ACUÑA
Preseason All-Pac-12#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/o3ceN19yeq
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) February 1, 2023
Bonstrom became the 13th player in Utah history to be named an All-American being selected to the NFCA Third Team. She was also a first-team All-Pac-12 selection last season. She started in all 52 games, including 14 in right field, 13 at first base, eight in center, six in left, six as a DP and one at shortstop. She led the Utes in home runs (11), batting average (.376), slugging percentage (.709), on-base percentage (.503) and runs scored (43).
Ellessa Bonstrom and Julia Jimenez both made the All-Pac-12 Preseason Team, while the Utes were picked eighth in the league’s preseason poll.#GoUteshttps://t.co/sEC23LINLT
— Utah Softball (@Utah_Softball) February 1, 2023
Former Arizona catcher Sharlize Palacios, who transferred to UCLA after last season, is also on the Preseason All-Pac-12 team.
Arizona was selected to finish fifth in the Preseason Pac-12 Coaches Poll and ASU was ninth.
The Wildcats open their season Feb. 9 against Long Beach State at Hillenbrand Stadium.
ASU plays at the San Diego State Tournament starting Feb. 9 with a game against Cal State Northridge.
Preseason Pac-12 Coaches Poll
1. UCLA – 64 (8)
2. Stanford – 54
3. Washington – 53 (1)
4. Oregon – 39
5. Arizona – 30
6. Oregon State – 25
7. California – 21
8. Utah – 20
9. Arizona State – 18
Preseason All-Pac-12 Team
Yannira Acuña, ASU
Tatum Anzaldo, CAL
Ellessa Bonstrom, UTAH
Maya Brady, UCLA
Allee Bunker, ORE
Megan Faraimo, UCLA
Frankie Hammoude, OSU
Madison Huskey, WASH
Julia Jimenez, UTAH
Aaliyah Jordan, UCLA
Baylee Klingler, WASH
Lindsay Lopez, WASH
Terra McGowan, ORE
Sharlize Palacios, UCLA
Sami Reynolds, WASH
Carlie Scupin, ARIZ
Allie Skaggs, ARIZ
Makena Smith, CAL
Alana Vawter, STAN
Brooke Yanez, UCLA
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