Four Huskies Named To Player Of The Year Watch List
January 30, 2019 | Softball
SEATTLE - The #2 Washington Huskies put four players on USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year Preseason Watch List, the most of any team in the nation. Taran Alvelo, Sis Bates, Morganne Flores, and Gabbie Plain all earned their way onto the watch list. Only one other team, Arizona, has four players on the preseason watch list, while just seven total have multiple players.
Washington has had at least one player on the preseason watch list for 16 consecutive years now. This also makes it back-to-back years that Washington has had multiple players on the watch list: last season, both Alvelo and Taylor Van Zee were so honored. In the last six years, the Huskies have had 11 such honors.
Alvelo won her first All-American award last season, making the All-Pac-12 First Team for the second year in a row. She was a finalist for the Collegiate Player of the Year award in 2018. She struck out a career-high 242 batters, her second consecutive year with 200+ strikeouts, and won 23 games, giving her 76 career wins. Alvelo has the fourth-most strikeouts of any active NCAA D-I pitcher, and is second in wins and complete games.
Bates was also named an All-American for the first time last season. She was named the Defensive Player of the Year in the Pac-12, the third Husky ever to earn that honor, as well as All-Pac-12 First Team. Bates recorded 75 hits in 2018, giving her 141 hits in her first two seasons, the second-most ever by a Husky in that time frame. Bates' .978 career fielding percentage is the best ever by a Husky shortstop.
Flores returns to action this year after missing 2018 with injury. In 2017, she led the Pac-12 in RBI with 74, the third-most in a single season in Washington history and the most since 2002 by a Husky. Flores carries a .328/.412/.614 career slash line into 2019, having already recorded over 20 career home runs and over 100 career RBI. She has made just two errors in over 100 career games, primarily at catcher.
Plain was named an All-American as a freshman, also finishing as an NFCA National Freshman of the Year finalist. She earned All-Pac-12 First Team honors and became the first Husky ever to throw 100+ innings and allow under 100 hits. Plain also threw a perfect game against Utah, the second freshman in UW history with a perfect game and the fourth Husky pitcher ever. She was the fourth Husky freshman in history to win 20+ games and won nine consecutive appearances over the end of the regular season and postseason.
The Huskies start their season next week at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, beginning February 8.
Make sure to follow Husky Softball on Twitter with the username @UWSoftball and on Instagram at uwsoftball.
Washington has had at least one player on the preseason watch list for 16 consecutive years now. This also makes it back-to-back years that Washington has had multiple players on the watch list: last season, both Alvelo and Taylor Van Zee were so honored. In the last six years, the Huskies have had 11 such honors.
Alvelo won her first All-American award last season, making the All-Pac-12 First Team for the second year in a row. She was a finalist for the Collegiate Player of the Year award in 2018. She struck out a career-high 242 batters, her second consecutive year with 200+ strikeouts, and won 23 games, giving her 76 career wins. Alvelo has the fourth-most strikeouts of any active NCAA D-I pitcher, and is second in wins and complete games.
Bates was also named an All-American for the first time last season. She was named the Defensive Player of the Year in the Pac-12, the third Husky ever to earn that honor, as well as All-Pac-12 First Team. Bates recorded 75 hits in 2018, giving her 141 hits in her first two seasons, the second-most ever by a Husky in that time frame. Bates' .978 career fielding percentage is the best ever by a Husky shortstop.
Flores returns to action this year after missing 2018 with injury. In 2017, she led the Pac-12 in RBI with 74, the third-most in a single season in Washington history and the most since 2002 by a Husky. Flores carries a .328/.412/.614 career slash line into 2019, having already recorded over 20 career home runs and over 100 career RBI. She has made just two errors in over 100 career games, primarily at catcher.
Plain was named an All-American as a freshman, also finishing as an NFCA National Freshman of the Year finalist. She earned All-Pac-12 First Team honors and became the first Husky ever to throw 100+ innings and allow under 100 hits. Plain also threw a perfect game against Utah, the second freshman in UW history with a perfect game and the fourth Husky pitcher ever. She was the fourth Husky freshman in history to win 20+ games and won nine consecutive appearances over the end of the regular season and postseason.
The Huskies start their season next week at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, beginning February 8.
Make sure to follow Husky Softball on Twitter with the username @UWSoftball and on Instagram at uwsoftball.
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