SAN MATEO, Calif. — The West Coast Conference announced their All-WCC honors today and Saint Mary's had six Gaels recognized with four student-athletes landing on either the First or Second Team. The six honorees marked a program-best for SMC since the WCC began sponsoring softball in 2014. 

Indya Smith picked up a First Team nod in her first full season as a Gael and the program's first since 2017. The sophomore ranked fourth in the WCC in batting average at .330, tied for third in doubles with nine, and was also among the top-10 in on-base and slugging percentage. Smith played all 37 games this year as the team's center fielder and was among the team's leaders in almost all offensive categories. 

Smith posted 12 multi-hit games in 2021 and caught fire in late March and early April where she went 11-for-23 over a seven-game stretch. She also went 4-for-7 on the final day of the season in the team's doubleheader against Loyola Marymount.

Saint Mary's placed three Gaels on the Second Team in Jayda Alaan, Sofia Earle, and Kenedi Lopes. 

Alaan was a steady presence on the field as the team's everyday shortstop. The senior batted .254, was second on the club with 29 hits, and only trailed Smith with seven extra-base hits. A plus defender as well, Alaan helped turn nine double plays during the season and recorded a .919 fielding percentage. 

Earle was the Gaels' best starting pitcher this season and she wrapped up her junior campaign with a 2.92 ERA across 103 innings. The left-hander led the conference in strikeouts per seven innings and totaled 123. Earle threw six complete games including an 11-strikeout performance against Sacramento State on Feb. 19. 

Lopes did not appear in a game for Saint Mary's until April but made a huge impact upon joining the team. In 12 games and 10 starts, Lopes batted .345 and had four doubles, placing her third on the team. The senior ended the year on a four-game hit streak and had base knocks in six of her final seven games. 

Julia McCormack and Eileen Perez also earned all-conference honorable mentions to round out the team's awards. McCormack slugged five homers during her final season and had a team-leading 23 RBIs as well. Perez was second on the team in innings pitched (60.1) and had a 3.06 ERA during conference play. 

The full list of awards can be seen below. 

2021 WCC Softball Major Honors
Player of the Year: Violet Zavodnik, Fr., OF – BYU
Pitcher of the Year: Autumn Moffat-Korth, Sr. – BYU
Defensive Player of the Year: Ashley Trierweiler, Fr., OF/IF – Santa Clara
Freshman of the Year: Violet Zavodnik, Fr., OF – BYU
Coach of the Year: Gordon Eakin – BYU

2021 All-WCC Softball First Team
Name                     Institution        Yr.         Pos.
Alyssa Daniell         LMU                  Fr.         1B
Megan Dedrick       LMU                  Sr.         SS
Martha Epenesa     BYU                  Jr.           3B
Andrea Gonzalez   LMU                  Sr.          INF
Rylee Jensen         BYU                  Sr.           OF
Autumn Moffat-Korth BYU               Sr.             P
Hannahjo Peterson BYU                 Sr.           UTL
Indya Smith           Saint Mary's      So.            OF
Myka Sutherlin       Pacific              Jr.             P/OF
Ashley Trierweiler Santa Clara        Fr.             OF
Marina Vitalich        LMU                 Sr.              P
Violet Zavodnik       BYU                 Fr.             OF

2021 All-WCC Softball Second Team
Name                     Institution           Yr.             Pos.
Jayda Alaan            Saint Mary's         Sr.             UTL
Huntyr Ava              BYU                     So.             1B
Sophia Bjerk           San Diego             Jr.             3B
McKenna Braegelmann San Diego     Fr.             LHP
Marissa Chavez       BYU                     Jr.             SS
Morgan DeBord         LMU                   So.             OF
Sofia Earle              Saint Mary's          Jr.             LHP
Madison Earnshaw San Diego             Jr.                 P
Allyson Ferreira       Santa Clara         So.               INF
Madison Kahwaty     Pacific                 Jr.               INF
Kenedi Lopes         Saint Mary's           Sr.              INF
Valeria Torres-Colon Pacific                 Fr.               OF

2021 All-WCC Softball Honorable Mention
Name                     Institution             Yr.             Pos.
Emma Bickford       Santa Clara           So.             INF
Madeline Domingo Pacific                     Sr.             C
Kaylee Erickson      BYU                      So.             C
Molly Grumbo         LMU                       Sr.             C
Amanda Limon       San Diego             Fr.              UTL
Jessica Mabrey      Pacific                     Jr.             UTL
Julia McCormack   Saint Mary's            Sr.             INF
Desiree Moreno     LMU                         Sr.            UTL
Arissa Paulson       BYU                         Sr.               P
Eileen Perez         Saint Mary's             Sr.                 P