IRVINE, Calif.--The Big West Conference announced its softball all-conference selections Wednesday as voted by the league coaches. Six Rainbow Wahine earned All-Big West honors--Izabella Martinez and Maya Nakamura were both named to the all-conference second team while Mya'Liah Bethea, Chloe Borges, Haley Johnson, and Dallas MIllwood all all earned honorable mention honors.

Martinez, a Garden Grove, Calif.-native, hit .298 overall and was tied for second on the team with 39 hits. She finished her 2024 campaign with six doubles and 22 RBI and a team-high 19 walks. The junior catcher, who is one of the few to call her own game, started all 46 games behind the dish. She threw out a career-high 15 runners trying to steal on her which ranks her second in the league and 11th in the NCAA DI.  It is the second-straight season that Martinez has earned all-conference honors.

Although Nakamura's senior campaign was cut short due to a season-ending injury, that did not deter the conference coaches from recognizing her abilities and importance to the UH team. Nakamura played in just the first 11 games of the Big West schedule when she was injured. For the season, she led UH both overall and in conference with a .312 and .450 batting averages respectively. She concluded her stellar career with a .324 batting average with 155 hits, 105 runs scored, 24 doubles, four triples, 22 home runs and 96 RBI. She had a career slugging percentage of .528 and on-base percentage of .441. For the first time in her career, Nakamura was selected as the BW Field Player of the Week (March 11) after powering UH's offense and making stellar plays on defense. At the plate, she hit .444 for the week, recording eight hits--six of which went for extra bases (two doubles, a triple and three home runs). The Honolulu-native led UH with seven runs, two doubles, a triple, three home runs, 12 RBI and a 1.167 slugging percentage. She drove in multiple-RBI in four of UH's six games that week and she accounted for 16 of UH's 36 total runs for the week. Defensively, Nakamura made highlight reel plays at second base with 14 assists and 20 put-outs with a 1.000 fielding percentage. She has earned all-conference honors all four seasons of her career. This is her third time making the all-Big West second team after making the first team as a junior.

For the second-straight season, Bethea led the Big West with 12 home runs for the year. The senior utility player, primarily played in leftfield where she started 38 games, but she also saw time in centerfield and at first base. Overall, Bethea led UH with 26 runs scored and a .575 slugging percentage. She was voted BW Field Player of the Week after hitting a team-best .667 (6-for-9) against Cal State Bakersfield. Bethea slugged a team-high 1.667 and belted a a home run in all three games of the series. 

Junior centerfielder/pitcher had a break out season, starting a career-high 39 games in centerfield and three at pitcher making 13 total appearances in the pitching circle overall. On offense, she finished the season tied for second in the Big West with 30 RBI. Overall, she hit .269 (28-for-104) with 13 runs scored, two doubles and eight home runs. She recorded a .519 slugging percentage and led UH with eight multiple-RBI games. She also reached base safely in 21-straight games to lead the 'Bows. Borges was named BW Field Player of the Week after leading UH with a .625 batting average and posting at least one hit, one run and an RBI in all three games against CSUN. She also earned a save after thwarting the Matadors in the final three innings. 

Johnson, a senior from San Diego, Calif., earned honorable mention honors for the second time. She started all 46 games at designated player, but also saw limited action at catcher. Overall, she hit .310 going 39-for-126 with a team-high seven doubles with a triple and a home run and 11 RBI. She finished her collegiate career hitting .292 with 19 doubles, four triples nine home runs and 66 RBI.

After suffering a season-ending injury in the second week of the 2023 season, senior first baseman Dallas Millwood worked hard to make her way back onto the field for her final season. She made her return this year starting all 46 games at first base. She finished the season hitting .261 with four doubles and three home runs. She was second on the team with 25 RBI and seven multiple-RBI games. The Mililani, O'ahu-native finished her UH career with a .260 career batting average with 80 hits, 13 doubles, 10 home runs and 60 RBI. This is Millwood's second Big West honorable mention award.

 

2024 ALL-BIG WEST FIRST TEAM

Student-Athlete Year Position Institution Hometown Mikayla Carman Jr. OF CSUN Huntington Beach, Calif. Staci Chambers     Jr. P Cal State Fullerton El Cajon, Calif. Jessica Clements Jr. OF Cal Poly Salinas, Calif. Megan Delgadillo Sr. OF Cal State Fullerton Riverside, Calif. Anna Dethlefson Sr. C/OF UC Davis Fair Oaks, Calif. Sophia Fernandez Sr. P Long Beach State Torrance, Calif. Madelyn McNally         Sr. INF UC Santa Barbara La Habra, Calif. Makayla Medellin So. OF Long Beach State Yorba LInda, Calif. Kat Montuya Sr. INF UC Riverside Vallejo, Calif. Haley Rainey     Jr. P Cal State Fullerton Adna, Wash. Sophia Ramuno So. P Cal Poly San Diego, Calif. Lulu Sanchez Fr. OF CSUN La Mirada, Calif. Peyton Toto Sr. INF Cal State Fullerton Antelope, Calif. Jocylyn Vidal Sr. INF Long Beach State La Puente, Calif. Nadia Witt Gr. OF UC Riverside Keizer, Ore.

2024 ALL-BIG WEST SECOND TEAM

Student-Athlete	Year	Position	Institution	Hometown
Gigi Araki	Sr.	C	UC Riverside	Wahiawa, O'ahu
Hannah Beccerra	Sr.	INF	Cal State Fullerton	Diamond Bar, Calif.
Kennedi Brown	Sr.	P	UC Davis	Elk Grove, Calif.
Layryn Carranco	So.	P	CSUN	Clovis, Calif.
Xiara Dias	Sr.	INF	Cal Poly	Brentwood, Calif.
Izabella Martinez	Jr.	C	Hawai'i	Garden Grove, Calif.
Maya Nakamura	Sr.	UTL	Hawai'i	Honolulu, O'ahu
Alexa Sams	Jr.	OF	UC Santa Barbara	La Mirada, Calif.
Ashley Sawai	Fr.	P	UC Davis	Torrance, Calif.
Sarah Starts	Sr.	INF	UC Davis	Gilroy, Calif.
Ainsley Waddell	Fr.	P/UTL	UC Santa Barbara	San Carlos, Calif.
Bailey Wallace	Sr.	OF	Cal State Fullerton	Alpine, Calif.
Shaylan Whatman	R-Sr.	INF/C	CSUN	Glenmore Park, New South Wales, Australia

 

ALL-BIG WEST HONORABLE MENTION

BIG WEST ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

Player of the Year: Jessica Clements (Cal Poly) Pitcher of the Year: Haley Rainey (Cal State Fullerton) Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Julia Barnette (Cal Poly)/Payton Toto (Cal State Fullerton) Co-Freshman Field Player of the Year: Lulu Sanchez (CSUN)/Ainsley Waddle (UC Santa Barbara) Freshman Pitcher of the Year: Ashley Sawai (UC Davis) Coach of the Year: Jenny Condon (Cal Poly)