Tribune-Herald sports editor Tribune-Herald sports editor ADVERTISING University of Hawaii at Hilo’s Aisha Sueda has been named to the All-Pacific West Conference softball first team in a season-ending poll of league coaches. Sueda, a talented second baseman out of Hilo
Tribune-Herald sports editor
University of Hawaii at Hilo’s Aisha Sueda has been named to the All-Pacific West Conference softball first team in a season-ending poll of league coaches.
Sueda, a talented second baseman out of Hilo High School, capped her productive four-year Vulcan career by leading the team in a handful of categories.
The 5-foot-3 senior led UHH with a .382 batting average, 35 runs batted in and six home runs. At the plate, she was 50 of 131 and scored 22 runs to go along with five doubles and a triple. In the field, she had 106 putouts, 95 assists and eight errors for a-steady .962 fielding percentage.
“Aisha is very deserving of the all-conference award,” said second-year Vulcans coach Jaime Wallin. “It all started last summer when she dedicated herself to prepare for her senior year. She really worked hard in strength and conditioning, and getting into the batting cage a lot. That hard work carried over into this year and she had an outstanding season.
“It was nice to see her maturity and putting it all together on and off the field. She’s a quiet person who leads by example. Her hard work brought her a lot of respect and admiration from the underclassmen on how she went about her job. It was great to see her prepared and confident all season long. She had a really successful season and anytime you can drive in 35 runs in 44 games, that’s impressive.”
Wallin said Sueda’s focused approach at the plate made her tough out even against the top PacWest pitchers.
“Aisha became a better change-up hitter, she drove the ball to the opposite side and stayed off the rise ball,” the UHH coach said. “We really counted on her hitting in the middle of the lineup and she came through for us this year. It’s really nice to see all of her hard work pay off.”
Sueda, a two-sport standout while at Hilo High, was the lone Vulcan to make the All-PacWest first team and no UHH player received second-team honors.
The Vulcans finished with a 24-20 overall record, including an 18-13 mark in the PacWest, finishing fifth in the 10-team league.
Grand Canyon freshman shortstop Kelsey Barak was selected the PacWest Player of the Year as well as the Freshman of the Year. Barak hit .424 with 10 doubles, six triples and eight home runs to go along with 54 runs batted in.
Cal Baptist’s Emma Holden, a 5-7 right-hander, was chosen the PacWest Pitcher of the Year while Chaminade junior infielder Rayna Strom-Okimoto was picked the Newcomer of the Year.
Grand Canyon’s Ann Pierson was named the PacWest Coach of the Year. She led the Antelopes to a 21-9 record in the conference and third place finish.
Wallin signs 4
UHH softball coach Jaime Wallin announced that she signed four players to national letters of intent to play during the 2012-13 season: incoming freshmen Kaylie Drew (Fallbrook, Calif.), Brittany Huff (Las Vegas, Nev.), Hannah Peterson (Alta Loma, Calif.) and Brandi Wilson (Glendora, Calif.).
“All four young ladies are capable of making immediate contributions to the campus community and the softball program,” Wallin said. “We expect great things from this group.”
Wallin said Drew, a 5-foot-11 corner infielder, “provides solid defense and brings power to the batting order.”
“Kaylie has a ton of athletic potential and I expect she will provide some pop in our order right away,” Wallin said. “Her biggest assets are her intelligence and leadership skills. She is a tremendous student and is the senior class president at Fallbrook High School.
“Those intangibles are priceless.”
Wallin said Huff, a 5-3 middle infielder, “has a great passion and work ethic for the game.”
“We expect Brittany to make an immediate impact in the middle infield,” the UHH coach said. “She will provide needed speed in the Vulcan line-up.”
Wallin said Peterson, a 5-6 pitcher, “has physical and mental command in the circle.”
“Hannah is one of the most dependable pitchers I have ever recruited,” Wallin said. “She is extremely consistent with hitting her spots and her demeanor in the circle is exceptional.”
Wallin is currently in California recruiting and hopes to sign two more players with experience, possibly from the junior college ranks or Division I transfers.
“With the four freshmen coming in and a rising group of sophomores, we would like to bring in a couple of players with maturity and experience that can help us build on the right culture for our program,” Wallin said. “Not just players with athletic ability, but also players with maturity and experience that can lead. Those types of players can take some of the pressure off the underclassmen and help us in a lot of different ways.”
Law signs guard
UHH men’s basketball coach Jeff Law has announced the signing of 6-foot-3 guard Lucas Swanson to a national letter of intent.
“Lucas will remind the Vulcan faithful of Jacob Briggs,” Law said. “He is a strong and solid player who will never take off a single play. He moves well off the ball, defends well and shows he has the on floor IQ we are in need of.”
As a guard this past year at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., Swanson averaged 11.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game as the school finished 25-4, including a 15-1 mark in winning the Northwest Athletic Association of Community College’s West Division title.
Swanson’s teammate, Derek Owens, a 6-3 combo guard, signed earlier with the Vulcans.
“They played together and we are hoping they bring the success they had at Clark here to Hilo,” said Law.
Law hopes to sign three more recruits, hopefully frontcourt players with size, to fill out the 2012-13 team roster. The veteran coach has six returnees from last season’s squad which finished 9-17 overall, including a 3-15 mark in the PacWest.
Editor’s note: The UHH sports information office contributed to this story.
