May 13, 2008
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. -
Complete 2008 All-Big West Team in PDF Format 
Big West Conference softball coaches selected four Matadors to the 2008 All-Big West Softball team, the Big West Conference announced Tuesday. Sophomore Jaclyn Rymer highlighted Northridge's honorees, earning All-Big West First Team recognition for her play at first base.
Senior Mercedes Lovato and junior Amanda Peek were named to the All-Big West Second Team while sophomore Alexandria Alvarado received All-Big West Honorable Mention honors.
Rymer, a 2007 All-Big West Second Team selection, hit .279 overall in her sophomore campaign, but raised her average to .298 in the 21 Big West Conference games. She finished with a career-high 20 runs scored and also led the team with a career-best 10 stolen bases.
"I would really like to thank my coaches and teammates for their tremendous support this year," said Rymer. "Through a lot of hard work, I was able to come into this season with more confidence."
Rymer also cut her strikeouts from 25 in her freshman season to eight in her sophomore year, making her the 69th-toughest person to strike out in NCAA Division I. In the field, she posted a .989 fielding percentage, committing only 3 errors in 282 chances.
Peek and Lovato earned All-Big West Second Team bids after putting together record-breaking seasons. Peek led the Big West Conference in on-base percentage with a .553 mark, the 10th-best figure in Division I. She led the Big West Conference in OPS, a statistic that combines a player's on-base and slugging percentage, at 1.252.
She finished second in the Big West Conference with a .415 batting average, the sixth-best figure in school history, raising her career average to .385. The batting average ranked 32nd and the slugging percentage checked in at 51st in the nation.
"It feels great to be honored by the conference for a third-straight year," said Peek. "Obviously, I would have loved to make regionals and keep playing, but I am proud to receive the honor and want to thank my coaches and teammates for all their support this season."
Peek also finished second in the conference in slugging (.699) and led the league with 37 walks, breaking a school record. In fact, the 37 walks in the Matadors' 47 games translate to 0.79 walks per game, the 10th-best mark in Division I this season.
Lovato finished her senior campaign 19-14, a 2.87 ERA and 136 strikeouts. The 19 wins were the most by a Northridge pitcher since 2001 and the 136 strikeouts were 37 more than she posted in 2007. The 19 victories finished 51st in Division I.
She tossed two no-hitters in non-conference play (2/17 vs. San Jose State and 3/7 vs. North Dakota), becoming the first Matador to accomplish the feat since 1999. Lovato is now tied for fifth in school history with three career no-hitters.
"It is an honor to receive this recognition for both of my season at Northridge," said Lovato. "I achieved a lot of goals I set for myself this season."
In Big West Conference action, Lovato finished 10-5 and lowered her ERA to 2.14. Only she and Long Beach State's Brooke Turner, the Big West Pitcher of the Year, were the only Big West Conference pitchers to defeat every conference opponent this season.
Sophomore Alexandria Alvarado was the team's final selection, receiving All-Big West Honorable Mention for her performance in right field. The sophomore hit .289 for the season and led the team with 12 doubles, eight of which came against Big West Conference opponents.
In all, Alvarado set new career highs with 38 hits, 23 runs, 12 doubles, 17 RBIs and nine stolen bases. She had the fourth-most extra-base hits and second-most doubles of all Big West conference outfielders. Alvarado also posted 10 multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games this season.
Turner became the first player in league history to win both pitcher awards, as she also won the Freshman Pitcher of the Year. UCSB's Tiffany Wright won Player of the Year and Pacific's Nicole Matson won Freshman Player of the Year.
