Arizona Softball

Sydney Stewart eighth Arizona player to earn conference player of year honor

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Nine Wildcats were named to the All-Big 12 teams announced Wednesday by the conference, highlighted by Sydney Stewart as the conference’s Player of the Year and Batting Champion, Regan Shockey as the Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, and Tayler Biehl as the conference’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Biehl, Grace Jenkins, Shockey, and Stewart were first-team All-Big 12 selections while Jalen Adams, Tele Jennings, and Sereniti Trice were selected to the second team. Shockey and Trice earned spots on the All-Defensive team while Rylie Holder and Kez Lucas were named to the All-Freshman team.

Stewart is Arizona’s eighth different conference Player of the Year and third conference Batting Champion in program history, joining her coach Caitlin Lowe on the list. Stewart follows Devyn Netz as the second consecutive Big 12 Player of the Year for Arizona. It is the first time the Wildcats have had back-to-back conference Player of the Year selections since 1998, the last of five straight such honors when Arizona was in the Pac-10 — Susie Parra (1994), Laura Espinoza (1995), Jenny Dalton (1996), and Allison Johnsen McCutcheon (1997 and 1998).

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Stewart earned her second All-Big 12 first team honor and is a unanimous selection this year. The senior catcher finished the regular season with a .429 batting average, 20 home runs, 76 RBIs, a 1.034 slugging percentage, 41 walks, and a 1.607 OPS. During conference action, Stewart hit .490 and hit 13 home runs with 40 RBIs, a 1.314 slugging percentage, 27 walks, a .655 on base percentage, and a 1.969 OPS to lead the conference in all categories.

Shockey becomes the Wildcats’ first-ever Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and the program’s fifth conference Defensive Player of the Year. She was also named to the All-Big 12 first team and to the All-Defensive team. Shockey leads Arizona with a .440 batting average, 73 hits, and 69 runs. Defensively, she has recorded 109 putouts with nine assists and recorded a .992 fielding percentage as Arizona’s centerfielder during the regular season. In conference play, she did not commit an error in 54 total chances.

Biehl was named the Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year and is an All-Big 12 first team selection. She is Arizona’s fifth conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year and has maintained a 4.00 GPA while majoring in Nutritional Sciences. Biehl had a breakout senior season on offense, finishing the regular season with a .364 batting average which ranked fourth on the team. She totaled 55 hits with 10 doubles, one triple, and six home runs while driving in 44 runs. In Big 12 play, she recorded a .405 batting average and led Arizona with seven doubles.

Jenkins earned a spot on the All-Big 12 first team. The senior utility player closed out Big 12 action with a .348 batting average and tallied four doubles, two triples, and six home runs with 30 RBIs. Overall, Jenkins has hit 11 home runs and driven in 57 runs with a .672 slugging percentage. She has hit two of Arizona’s three total grand slams this season.

Adams is receiving second-team all-conference honors for the first time in her career. She leads Arizona and ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 20 victories this season. In conference play, she totaled 10 victories and pitched six complete games and two shutouts.

Jennings has been named second-team All-Big 12 for her first career all-conference honor. She finished with a .451 batting average and hit six doubles with 18 RBIs in Big 12 play as Arizona’s designated player. Her .451 conference batting average ranked second on the team and third in the Big 12. Jennings finished the regular season with a .362 batting average.

Trice earns her second straight All-Big 12 second team honor and her first Big 12 All-Defensive team accolade. The sophomore finished the regular season with a .415 batting average and is second on the team with 63 hits and 56 runs scored. She totaled four triples during the season to lead Arizona and the conference. Defensively, she made 85 putouts with 92 assists. She was involved in 27 double plays during the season to help Arizona set the program’s single season double plays record.

Holder is receiving All-Freshman team honors following an 11-win season in the circle. Her 11 victories this year is second on the team and ranks 11th in the conference. She pitched 92.0 innings and tossed four complete games during the regular season. Overall, Holder was part of five shutouts, including two shutouts in conference play.

Lucas earned a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman team. She has tallied 26 hits, three doubles, five home runs, and 19 RBI this season. In conference action, Lucas maintained a .314 batting average with 16 hits, two doubles, two home runs, and 11 RBIs.

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