2021 Softball Year-in-Review
PHOENIX ---
The South Mountain Community College softball team enjoyed a stellar 2021 season, highlighted by a national ranking, a return to the postseason and a new program record .675 winning percentage. Led by second-year head coach Brittney Matta, the Cougars finished the year with a 27-13 overall record and 25-9 mark in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference. The Cougars' .735 conference winning percentage also set a new program record, and the 25 league wins tied a school record.
SMCC flexed a potent offensive lineup all season, totaling 333 runs, 70 doubles, 25 triples, 41 home runs, 316 RBIs and 142 stolen bases. The Cougars led the ACCAC in triples and stolen bases, owning 88 more steals than their nearest conference rival. As a team, SMCC batted .406 with a .483 on-base and .646 slugging percentage in its 39 games.
The Cougars finished fourth in the NJCAA Division II in batting average, second in on-base percentage, ninth in slugging percentage, tied for second in triples and tied for eighth in stolen bases as a team.
In the circle, the Cougars posted a 4.67 ERA with 160 strikeouts in 225 innings. They ranked fifth in the conference in ERA and tied for fifth in strikeouts.
Starting with a 13-4 home win over Central Arizona on Mar. 30, SMCC put together a nine-game winning streak that included Pima CC, Paradise Valley CC, Chandler-Gilbert CC and Glendale CC. The road wins over the Aztecs were the Cougars' first road victories in the series since 2013. SMCC later put together an eight-game winning streak that included doubleheader sweeps of Chandler-Gilbert CC, Glendale CC, Scottsdale CC and Gateway CC.
All that winning helped land the Cougars in the NJCAA Division II national rankings, where they debuted at 15 and eventually moved up to No. 11 as the season progressed.
The Cougars finished second in the ACCAC Division II standings and advanced to the postseason for the first time since 2017. At the Region I Division II tournament, SMCC defeated Chandler-Gilbert twice and lost to Phoenix College twice.
Offense
Freshman Mia Stankiewicz earned First Team All-ACCAC and Division II All-Region honors after a sensational season. The team's everyday shortstop, Stankiewicz batted .575 with 58 runs, 18 doubles, five triples, 18 home runs, 67 RBIs, 21 stolen bases and 23 walks. In addition, she ranked among the league's top 10 in batting average, runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, batting average, slugging percentage (1.264) and on-base percentage (.650). She led the nation in on-base and slugging percentage, and finished second in batting average.
She hit a season-high three home runs in a road win at Glendale CC and had two games with two home runs. She earned NJCAA Division II National Player of the Week honors on Mar. 10 after batting .714 (10-of-14) with eight runs, 11 RBIs, two home runs, four doubles, two triples and five stolen bases in wins over Paradise Valley CC and Eastern Arizona. She had a season-high six RBIs twice, had a season-high four hits three times and scored a season-high four runs in a win at Glendale CC.
Freshman Alexa Key earned Second Team All-ACCAC honors after an excellent year as the team's leadoff hitter. She finished the season with a .493 batting average, 58 runs, 22 hits, six doubles, four triples, 23 RBIs, 13 walks and a conference-best 38 stolen bases. Key also finished among the league's top 10 in batting average, triples, runs scored and hits. She had a season-high three hits in 11 games, scored a season-high four runs four times and stole a season-high two bases 11 times. Key earned ACCAC Division II Player of the Year once during the year and finished 20th in stolen bases among all Division II student-athletes.
Freshman Jackie Traughber was a dual-threat for SMCC all season, leading the Cougars in the circle and producing a prolific season at the plate. She earned a Third-Team Utility player All-ACCAC award and Division II All-Region honors. At the plate, Traughber batted .438 with 36 runs, nine doubles, five triples, two home runs, 38 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. She scored a season-high three runs three times, collected a season-high three hits six times and drove in a season-high five RBIs in a win over Gateway CC.
Freshman Christian Smith was another dual-threat for SMCC and earned Third Team All-ACCAC and Division II All-Region honors. She batted .300 with two doubles, 12 runs scored, 11 RBIs and four stolen bases. She had a season-high three RBIs in a win over Scottsdale CC, had a season-high three hits against Chandler-Gilbert CC and scored a season-high three runs in a win over the Fighting Artichokes.
Freshman Tara Lorona served as the team's primary catcher and had a strong debut year. She batted .348 with 10 doubles, five triples, four home runs, 41 RBIs and four stolen bases, and tied for second in the ACCAC in triples and tied for 12th in RBIs. Lorona recorded a season-high three runs three times, had a season-high three hits twice and had a season-high four RBIs in two games. In addition, she posted a .978 fielding percentage and caught 10 runners stealing during the year to lead the conference.
Freshman Tori Van Arsdale played all over the diamond in her first year with the Cougars and provided a solid punch in the middle of the lineup. She finished the year with a .422 batting average, four doubles, two triples, five home runs, 39 RBIs, 30 runs scored and 20 stolen bases. She finished fourth in the ACCAC in stolen bases and tied for 14th in RBIs. In addition, Van Arsdale posted a season-high four runs in a win over Gateway CC, collected a season-high three hits in three games and had a season-high five RBIs three times.
Freshman Taylor Mount played several positions along the infield and provided steady play for the Cougars. She batted .348 with six doubles, 26 runs scored, three home runs, 23 RBIs and 16 stolen bases, which ranked fifth in the ACCAC. She scored a season-high three runs and drove in a season-high four RBIs in a win over Glendale CC and had a season-high three hits twice.
Freshman Jaudrey Ah Quin played all over the diamond for SMCC and finished second on the squad and tied for 16th in the ACCAC with eight home runs. She added a .408 batting average, 31 runs scored, two doubles, two triples, 30 RBIs and three stolen bases. She scored a season-high three runs in a win over Glendale CC and had a season-high four hits and five RBIs in a win over Gateway CC.
Freshman Tatumn Ellis spent the majority of the season patrolling left field for the Cougars. She batted .261 with 13 runs, three doubles, two triples, 14 RBIs and eight stolen bases. Ellis scored a season-high two runs and drove in a season-high three RBIs in a win over Gateway CC and had a season-high two hits in four games.
Freshman Natalie Torres appeared in 23 games for SMCC in her first season. She batted .378 with 11 runs, four doubles, two home runs and 10 RBIs. She had a season-high three runs and three hits in a win over Gateway CC and had a season-high two RBIs three times.
Freshman Marissa Grijalva appeared in 25 games and batted .355 with five runs, a double, a home run and six RBIs. She hit a game-tying, pinch-hit home run in a contest at Arizona Western, and had two RBIs twice.
Freshman Jianna Martinez appeared in 17 games and batted .350 with three runs and two RBIs. She had a season-high three hits in a win over Scottsdale CC and two hits in a win over Gateway CC.
Pitching
Traughber appeared in 24 games in the circle and made 18 starts to earn Division II All-Region honors. She finished 16-6 with a 4.18 ERA and 99 K's in 125.2 innings of work and ranked third in the ACCAC in wins, second in innings pitched and seventh in strikeouts. She also posted 16 complete games and fanned a season-high eight batters in a win over Scottsdale CC. In addition, Traughber won ACCAC Division II Pitcher of the Week once during the season.
Smith made 19 starts and appeared in 21 games to earn Division II All-Region honors. She finished 11-5 with 14 complete games, a 5.08 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 92.1 innings of work. Smith tied for fifth in wins and was 12th in strikeouts and had a season-high six strikeouts three times. In addition, she earned a pair of ACCAC Division II Pitcher of the Week honors during the year.