Colorado State University Athletics
Trio of Rams Earn All-Mountain West Honors
5/6/2020 1:14:00 PM | Softball
Michelena repeats; Gamboa, Jarecki selected for first time.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – An abbreviated season didn't allow the conference slate to take root, but the games which had the teams on the cusp set the foundation for the All-Mountain West softball team released Wednesday, with a trio of Colorado State performers on the roster.
Junior lead-off hitter Ashley Michelena makes a repeat appearance, while seniors Corina Gamboa and Jessica Jarecki were selected for the first time in voting done by conference coaches. The Rams were 11-12 on the season and were set to begin MW play with a three-game set starting March 13 when the season was shelved.
"Both Ashley and Corina have driven our offense and are key defensive players for us. They were definitely having a good season for us," head coach Jen Fisher said. "Jess was leading the charge in the circle for us with a little bit of a young pitching staff, and she was having a good year, too."
Michelena, a second-team selection in 2019, led CSU with a .300 average, 14 runs scored, 24 hits, three triples and a .349 on-base percentage. She added three stolen bases, a pair of doubles and drove in five as the Rams' table setter. She has started all 119 games of her career, and her 12 career triples are sixth on the program's all-time list, while her 22 career stolen bases are tied for ninth.
Gamboa (who was All-Region in 2019) was leading the team with nine doubles, 38 total bases, a .528 slugging percentage and had been hit by four pitches. The third baseman was hitting .292 with 12 extra-base hits and 13 RBI when the campaign ended, her nine doubles sitting second on the MW chart. Her 42 career doubles are tied for sixth on the CSU list.
Jarecki led all CSU pitchers with 10 starts, producing nine complete games and a shutout. She had thrown a team-best 64 innings, producing a 2.41 ERA and a 3-6 mark in the circle.
The Rams struggled a bit out of the gates as they took on some nationally ranked foes, but Fisher was seeing an upswing in performance and production she wishes she could have watched play out in conference.
"I think all of them would have carried it into conference," she said. "You see it year to year, people have a slow start and kick it into gear in conference. I think they were really starting to hit their stride."
Junior lead-off hitter Ashley Michelena makes a repeat appearance, while seniors Corina Gamboa and Jessica Jarecki were selected for the first time in voting done by conference coaches. The Rams were 11-12 on the season and were set to begin MW play with a three-game set starting March 13 when the season was shelved.
"Both Ashley and Corina have driven our offense and are key defensive players for us. They were definitely having a good season for us," head coach Jen Fisher said. "Jess was leading the charge in the circle for us with a little bit of a young pitching staff, and she was having a good year, too."
Michelena, a second-team selection in 2019, led CSU with a .300 average, 14 runs scored, 24 hits, three triples and a .349 on-base percentage. She added three stolen bases, a pair of doubles and drove in five as the Rams' table setter. She has started all 119 games of her career, and her 12 career triples are sixth on the program's all-time list, while her 22 career stolen bases are tied for ninth.
Gamboa (who was All-Region in 2019) was leading the team with nine doubles, 38 total bases, a .528 slugging percentage and had been hit by four pitches. The third baseman was hitting .292 with 12 extra-base hits and 13 RBI when the campaign ended, her nine doubles sitting second on the MW chart. Her 42 career doubles are tied for sixth on the CSU list.
Jarecki led all CSU pitchers with 10 starts, producing nine complete games and a shutout. She had thrown a team-best 64 innings, producing a 2.41 ERA and a 3-6 mark in the circle.
The Rams struggled a bit out of the gates as they took on some nationally ranked foes, but Fisher was seeing an upswing in performance and production she wishes she could have watched play out in conference.
"I think all of them would have carried it into conference," she said. "You see it year to year, people have a slow start and kick it into gear in conference. I think they were really starting to hit their stride."
Players Mentioned
Tuesday, June 16
Sunday, April 21
Sunday, April 07
Saturday, March 26