 Cerritos College
freshman catcher
Samantha Vaaulu (Warren HS)
has had a remarkable season in leading the Falcons
to the South Coast Conference championship and the
team is one step away from advancing to the state
championships to defend their title. On Monday,
Vaaulu was named the Diamond Sports Catcher of the
Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
In addition to Vaaulu, freshman pitcher
Hillary Perez-Ashley (Long Beach
Poly HS) and freshman second baseman
Lindsey Marquez (Gahr HS) were
also named 2009 Louisville Slugger/NFCA California
JC All-Americans.
On the year,
Vaaulu is one of four starters batting over .400
(.442) and broke the single-season school record for
home runs with 16 and is closing in on the record
for most RBI in a season. As the Falcons prepare for
the Super Regional this weekend against Saddleback
College, Vaaulu has 63 RBI, while the school record
of 71 was set last year by Jessica Navarro,
who was the NFCA Player of the Year in 2008. In
addition to her prowess at the plate, Vaaulu has not
made an error behind the plate all season and has
thrown out 12 runners attempting to steal bases.
As for
Perez-Ashley, she was named the South Coast
Conference Pitcher of the Year, as well as the
Southern California Pitcher of the Year. So far this
season, she has posted a 27-5 record with a 1.61 ERA
and 24 complete games. Perez-Ashley has only allowed
163 hits in 204 innings pitched this season and has
posted 135 strikeouts. Her 27 wins are currently
tied for second in school history, and she is
closing in on the record for most appearances with
42. Marquez has been a stabilizing force on the
infield this season, while she is also a threat at
the plate. Batting .413 on the year, Marquez is this
in the team in home runs (6), RBI (43) and hits
(57), while she has started all 47 games.
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