Multiple Cougars Earn NFCA, NJCAA All-American Honors
Complete NFCA NJCAA Division II All-American Team
Complete NJCAA Division II All-American Teams
PHOENIX ---
Sophomore centerfielder Makaiya Gomez and freshman shortstop Brianna Garcia earned NJCAA Division II First Team All-American honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, the organization announced on June 2. Sophomore Anisa Reynolds received Second Team All-American honors for her combined work in the circle and at the plate as the three Cougars were recognized for their role in a historic campaign for SMCC softball.
**Update: The NJCAA announced its All-American teams on June 6, 2023. Garcia (INF) and Gomez (OF) received First Team All-American honors while freshman Halle Hogan earned Second Team All-American honors.
As the team's shortstop, Garcia batted .442 with 90 runs and 103 hits in 64 games. She added a school-record 28 home runs, 98 RBIs, 26 doubles, a triple and 10 stolen bases. She set a new school single-season record for home runs and finished fourth all-time in hits, second in RBIs and runs, and tied for third in doubles.
She had four multi-home run games in 2023, including three bombs in a 12-2 win at Arizona Western on March 7. She had a season-high six RBIs in two games and a season-high four hits in wins over Phoenix College and Pima CC. Garcia had six games with two doubles and scored a season-high four runs twice. Garcia posted hitting streaks of 17 and 13 games during the year, and had 30 multi-hit and 27 multi-RBI games.
Gomez, the ACCAC Player of the Year, wrapped up her 2023 campaign with a .533 batting average in 64 games. She led SMCC with 123 runs, 113 hits, 54 walks and 28 stolen bases, setting new school single-season records for runs and walks. She added 25 doubles, two triples, 20 home runs and 88 RBIs. She set new single-season records for runs and walks, and finished third all-time in RBIs, second in hits, and tied for fifth in doubles and home runs.
She had 32 multi-hit games and posted a season-high five hits in a win at Yavapai College on April 11. Gomez recorded 23 multi-RBI games and drove in a season-high seven runs in a February 11 win over Gateway CC. She had a season-high two stolen bases in three games and homered twice in an 11-4 win at Scottsdale CC on March 23. She started the 2023 season with a 25-game hitting streak and ended the regular season on a 15-game streak.
Reynolds was a two-way threat for SMCC, who excelled at the plate and in the circle. Offensively, she finished with a .361 batting average, 59 runs and 69 hits in 60 games. She added eight doubles, 25 home runs, 78 RBIs and seven stolen bases. She went 22-4 in the circle with 110 strikeouts and a 3.33 ERA in 159.2 innings. She tied for second in school history with the 25 home runs and was seventh in RBIs and runs.
Reynolds struck out a season-high 10 batters in a March 13 win over Kirkwood CC (IA) and had seven punch outs in a win at Central Arizona on February 23. She posted five multi-home runs games during the 2023 season and blasted three home runs in a home win over Glendale CC on February 18. Reynolds posted a season-high seven RBIs and two home runs in a win at Central Arizona on February 23. She had a season-high four hits with two home runs, two doubles and six RBIs in a win over Gateway CC on February 11.
Hogan served as the team's primary first baseman in 2023 and batted .497 with 57 runs, 92 hits, 23 doubles, a triple, 15 home runs, 75 RBIs, 24 walks and six stolen bases in 58 games. She also earned First Team All-ACCAC and All-Region I Division II Team awards earlier this season. Hogan finished tied for sixth in school history for hits and doubles, 12th in runs and home runs, eighth in RBIs and tied for 14th in walks.
Hogan posted a season-high five hits in a win at Eastern Arizona, scored a season-high four runs in a win against Yavapai College, and had 27 multi-hit games in 2023. She posted a season-high two doubles twice, including against Phoenix College in the Region I Division II Tournament, and drove in a season-high six RBIs in a win over Paradise Valley CC. Defensively, she sported a .977 fielding percentage in 217 chances and was a part of 13 double plays.