SB | Smith, Earle named Preseason All-WCC
2/9/2022 1:00:00 PM | Softball
SAN MATEO, Calif. — On the heels of the regular season, the West Coast Conference has announced the results of their preseason coaches poll and the preseason All-WCC teams. Saint Mary's has two Gaels on the preseason team, with 2021 All-WCC honorees Indya Smith and Sofia Earle both projected to return to that list in 2022.
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.
Sofia 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.
Her stellar 2022 season earned her Second Team honors from the conference for the first time in her career. Perhaps just as impressive, she is just one of three pitchers in the WCC to earn preseason honors in 2022.
This marks the second-consecutive season the Gaels have had multiple preseason all-conference selections, after Alex Casas and Maddie Gallagher were named to the team last year.
Saint Mary's begins the season this weekend in Sacramento and Davis as they play in the NorCal Kickoff, hosted by Sacramento State and UC Davis. The Gaels open up on Friday against Montana and will also play UC Davis and San Jose State over the course of their five games on the weekend.
The full preseason poll and preseason All-WCC team is listed below.
2022 WCC Preseason Coaches Poll
2022 All-WCC Preseason Softball Team – Position Players
2022 All-WCC Preseason Softball Team – Pitchers
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.
Sofia 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.
Her stellar 2022 season earned her Second Team honors from the conference for the first time in her career. Perhaps just as impressive, she is just one of three pitchers in the WCC to earn preseason honors in 2022.
This marks the second-consecutive season the Gaels have had multiple preseason all-conference selections, after Alex Casas and Maddie Gallagher were named to the team last year.
Saint Mary's begins the season this weekend in Sacramento and Davis as they play in the NorCal Kickoff, hosted by Sacramento State and UC Davis. The Gaels open up on Friday against Montana and will also play UC Davis and San Jose State over the course of their five games on the weekend.
The full preseason poll and preseason All-WCC team is listed below.
2022 WCC Preseason Coaches Poll
| School | Points |
|
25 |
|
21 |
|
14 |
|
12 |
|
10 |
|
8 |
2022 All-WCC Preseason Softball Team – Position Players
| Name | Institution | Position |
| Huntyr Ava | BYU | 1B |
| Emma Bickford | Santa Clara | INF |
| Marissa Chavez | BYU | SS |
| Alyssa Daniell | LMU | 1B/OF |
| Morgan DeBord | LMU | OF |
| Megan Dedrick | LMU | SS |
| Martha Epenesa | BYU | 3B |
| Andrea Gonzalez | LMU | INF |
| HannahJo Mills | BYU | OF |
| Indya Smith | Saint Mary's | OF |
| Ashley Trierweiler | Santa Clara | OF/INF |
| Violet Zavodnik | BYU | OF |
2022 All-WCC Preseason Softball Team – Pitchers
| Name | Institution |
| McKenna Braegelmann | San Diego |
| Sofia Earle | Saint Mary's |
| Autumn Moffat-Korth | BYU |
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Players Mentioned
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