Pac-12 Softball Weekly Release - May 12, 2022

Schedule // Standings // Statistics // NCAA Statistics // Record Book

SAN FRANCISCO - Pac-12 softball reaches the final week of the regular-season as a conference champion will be crowned. 

PAC-12 TITLE ON THE LINE: The race for the Pac-12 regular-season title has come down to the final weekend. Arizona State currently sits atop of the Conference standings with a two-game lead ahead of UCLA. The Sun Devils have an opportunity to clinch a share of their first Pac-12 title since 2011 by picking up one win in the three-game series against Washington, can claim the championship outright if the Sun Devils get a series win over the Huskies.

UCLA can also clinch a share of the regular-season title if they pick up two wins in the three-game series against California, while also needing Arizona State to lose two out of three of their remaining games. If the Bruins can go undefeated in their final games while also have the Sun Devils go winless, UCLA can claim the regular-season title outright. 

ON DECK: One top-10 matchup will be in store for the final week of action as No. 10 Washington will host No. 8 Arizona State in Seattle for a three-game series with the conference regular-season championship up for grabs. The series will be aired on several Pac-12 Network channels throughout the three-game series. A total of 12 games are on deck this week, while nine games will be available through Pac-12 Networks. 

2022 ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS: On Wednesday, May 11, the Pac-12 announced the 2022 softball award winners, which includes this season's yearly award recipients. Washington's Baylee Klingler was voted Pac-12 Player of the Year, UCLA's Megan Faraimo earned Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, while fellow Bruin Briana Perez was selected Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Arizona State's Cydney Sanders was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and Sun Devil head coach Trisha Ford received Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors. 

PAC-12 TRIPLE CROWN THREAT: Washington's Baylee Klingler can be the first conference Triple Crown winner since 1999 (Stacey Nuveman), as she currently leads the Pac-12 in batting average (.453), RBI (65) and home runs (22). The Pac-12 Player of the Year looks to continue her monster season as she prepares for the final three games of the regular season. 

IN THE RANKINGS: UCLA now to leads four ranked Pac-12 teams in this week's USA Today/NFCA Top-25 Coaches Poll at No. 6, followed closely by No. 8 Washington, No. 10 Arizona State and No. 22 Oregon while Stanford is receiving votes.

Five teams are ranked in this week's ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings: Arizona State jumps to No. 4, UCLA is No. 6, Washington is No. 11, Oregon is No. 24 and Arizona is No. 25, while Stanford and Oregon State are receiving votes. 

RPI REPORT: In the NCAA's most recent RPI report the Pac-12 has four programs in the top-25, which is the third most among all leagues (SEC & ACC). UCLA leads the conference at No. 6, Arizona State is No. 7, Washington is No. 14 and Oregon is No. 15.

Seven Pac-12 programs have reached the 30-win plateau, making it 1-out-3 conferences with as many 30-win teams (SEC - 11, ACC - 7).

Each of the league's nine programs have top-50 RPIs, the Pac-12 is one of only two conferences to have all of its members in the RPI top 50 (SEC).

All nine Pac-12 softball programs posted non-conference records of .500 or better and all had top-60 non-conference RPIs. 

Each of the Conferences' nine programs has a top-60 strength of schedule as Oregon has the second toughest schedule in the nation, while Utah follows closely behind with the fifth toughest in the nation. 

Through 13 weeks, the Pac-12 is ranked second in conference RPI, behind only the SEC.

ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS: UCLA's Briana Perez is first among among active NCAA players in at bats (815), second in runs scored (254), third in hits (313) and tied for third in triples (18). Perez also ranks fifth in total bases (513), 10th in games played (251) and 11th in RBI (192). UCLA's Aaliyah Jordan is ranked eighth among active players in both doubles (60), ninth in RBI (197) and 18th in total bases (419). UCLA's Megan Faraimo ranks third in ERA (1.36), fourth in strikeouts per seven innings (10.18) and 16th in shutouts (23). 

Washington's Olympian Gabbie Plain is second among active players in both wins (105) and shutouts (44), third in strikeouts (1,026), fourth in innings pitched (801.0), games started (123) and ERA (1.51), sixth in pitching appearances (161), seventh in completed games (80), 11th in strikeouts per seven innings (8.97) and 21st in saves (9). 

Oregon State's Mariah Mazon ranks second in innings pitched (818.0), fourth in completed games (85), eighth in both games started (111) and saves (11), 12th in pitching appearances (150) and 14th in strikeouts (812). 

Arizona State's freshman Cydney Sanders ranks third in the nation in slugging percentage (0.950) and ninth in batting average (0.425).  

Stanford's Alana Vawter ranks ninth in the nation in ERA (1.57) and 19th in shutouts (20). 

NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Washington's Olivia Johnson claimed the first D1 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player of the Week honor of the season (Feb. 15) after bursting onto the scene during opening week in Mexico. 

Johnson was named MVP of the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge as she reached base safely in her first 14 plate appearances, going 7-for-7 with three home runs, eight RBIs and drawing seven walks (five intentional). The freshman marked the best start to a season or career by any Husky, as she was the first Husky freshman to hit back-to-back home runs in first two plate appearances, as well as the first to start a season or career going 7-for-7. Johnson finished the tournament with a .700 average, five runs scored, 1.800 slugging percentage and a .833 on-base percentage.

Stanford's Alana Vawter is the first Pac-12 student-athlete to claim the D1 Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week honor this season (April 12) after recording two shoutouts against Santa Clara and then-No. 3 UCLA.

Vawter finished the week with a 2-1 record against Santa Clara and UCLA, while posting a 0.70 ERA with a pair of shutouts to go along with 15 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched, while only allowing two earned runs. After suffering her only defeat of the week against the Bruins in the series opener, she quickly bounced back to throw a four-hit shutout to clinch the Cardinal's first ever series win over UCLA since 2013. Her win against then-No. 3 UCLA was the highest-ranked win of her career, while it was her third top-25 win of the season. In her shutout victory over the Bruins, she was the first pitcher to toss a complete game shutout against UCLA in the 2022 season. 

PRESEASON COACHES POLL: Defending Pac-12 Champion UCLA was voted by the Conference's softball head coaches as the league's preseason favorite for the second consecutive season as the Bruins collected a total of 63 points. The Bruins finished the 2021 season with a record of 47-7 (19-2 in Pac-12), a No. 5 ranking in the final USA Today/NFCA poll and made their sixth-straight appearance to the Women's College World Series. UCLA returns 10 student-athletes who appeared in at least 40 games and 17 total letterwinners who accounted for 63 percent of its hits and 82 percent of its runs from a season ago. 

Washington came in second (55), while Arizona (45) and Oregon (45) are tied for third. Arizona State totaled 37 points to finish fifth, and Stanford (31), Oregon State (25), California (12) and Utah (11) rounded out the poll. 

RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS: Eight NFCA DI All-America team members are returning for the 2022 season, including Arizona’s 2021 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and Batting Champion Janelle Meoño, Oregon’s fifth-year senior Brooke Yanez, UCLA’s Megan Faraimo, Maya Brady, Aaliyah Jordan and Briana Perez, and Washington's fifth-year senior Gabbie Plain and senior Baylee Klingler.

WATCH LISTS: On Wednesday, May 4, USA Softball announced the Top 10 Finalists for the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Washington's Baylee Klingler was named among the 10 finalist. This is the second consecutive year a Husky has been named as a top 10 finalist (Gabbie Plain & Sis Bates - 2021). Klingler is currently the front-runner for the Pac-12 Triple Crown title as she currently leads the conference in batting average (0.453), home runs (22) and RBIs (65). 

On Thursday, May 12, NFCA announced the Top 10 Finalists for the 2022 Schutt Sports/NFCA DI National Freshman of the Year. Arizona State's Cydney Sanders was named among the 10 finalists. Sanders was tabbed the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year as she currently leads all freshmen in the conference in batting average (.425), slugging percentage (.950), on-base percentage (.557), runs scored (45), RBI (52), home runs (17), total bases (114) and walks (34). 

DRAFT DAY: Washington's Gabbie Plain was among only 13 draftees from the 2022 Athletes Unlimited Softball College Draft. Plain will have the opportunity to make her professional debut on Wednesday, June 29 at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Ill. Throughout her historic career, Plain became the second Husky in program history to record 1,000 career strikeouts and the fourth with 100-plus wins. Plain also has a lengthy list of honors which include - 2021 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, three-time All-American, four-time Pac-12 First Team honoree, two-time NFCA All-American Scholar-Athlete, two-time Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll recognitions, Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, NFCA National Freshman of the Year Finalist, three-time All-Region nods and the 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year finalists.

OLYMPIANS MADE HERE: The Pac-12 boasted 20 Olympians on the rosters of five different countries at last summer’s Tokyo Games, including eight of the 15 on Team USA. Returning Olympians on campus this season include Arizona's Giulia Koutsoyanopulos (Italy), Washington's Gabbie Plain (Australia) and Oregon State's Tarni Stepto (Australia).

Oregon State head coach Laura Berg and Washington head coach Heather Tarr were Team USA assistants in Tokyo and in October, Tarr was named the new leader of the 2022 U.S. National Team. Since becoming UW's head coach in 2005, Tarr has become the winningest coach of any sport in Huskies' history.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (Full Schedule) 

CONFERENCE STANDINGS (Expanded Standings) 

PAC-12 SOFTBALL WEEKLY AWARDS