UCSB softball earns two All-Conference honors

Posted: May 16, 2012 1:17 PM by Andrew Masuda

UC Santa Barbara earned a pair of Big West Conference Softball awards on Wednesday. Shelby Wisdom was named the Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year, while Brie Galicinao earned her second career Coach of the Year Award.

Wisdom is the first Gaucho to win Freshman Field Player of the Year. At the plate she hit .271 with five home runs, 19 runs scored and 22 RBI. In the circle, Wisdom was dominant as she led the league in wins (24), innings pitched (266.2), games started (37) and appearances (50). Wisdom led the Gauchos in supreme fashion pitching her first career no-hitter against Cal State Northridge in the final series this season. Wisdom dented the Big West record book as her 50 appearances are second-most in a single-season. Her exploits also allowed her to set UCSB single-season records for wins and strikeouts while ranking No. 2 in innings pitched.

Leading the Gauchos to their best conference finish since 2008 when they placed second to Long Beach State, Brie Galicinao is recognized as the Big West Coach of the Year. This is her second recognition after sharing the honor with Kim Sowder of Long Beach State in 2008. The Gauchos finished 30-28 overall and finished 15-6 in Big West play for second place. The 15 wins represented an improvement from last year's total of 11. In her fifth season with UCSB, she is the program's first to capture the top award twice and only the second coach overall to be recognized, joining Kristy Schroeder in 2002. Since taking the helm in 2008, Galicinao has recorded a 54-51 conference record (.514) while her 124 career wins place her in the Big West's top-20 all-time.

Wisdom and junior outfielder Jessica Soria of UCSB were named to the All-Conference First Team. Fellow Gauchos Lainey DePompa, Kathryn Pilpil, Keilani Jennings, Jenessa Jeppesen and Allison Taylor were honorable mentions.

No Cal Poly players landed on the First Team. Shortstop Kim Westlund, a sophomore, earned a spot on the Second Team. Nora Sobczak was an honorable mention.