May 16, 2018
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State softball's Shelby Thompson has been named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced Wednesday. Thompson was also the lone Aztec representative on either the MW first or second team, earning first-team accolades for the second straight year by the league's coaches.
Thompson became SDSU's first MW Defensive Player of the Year (award started in 2014). San Diego State has now captured all five major awards since 2014, including two players of the year (Lorena Bauer in 2015 and Jenavee Peres in 2017), one pitcher of the year (Danielle O'Toole in 2014), one defensive player of the year (Thompson in 2018), two freshmen of the year (Peres in 2015, Thompson in 2017) and one coach of the year (Kathy Van Wyk in 2014).
In conference play (which the MW awards and all-MW teams are decided), Thompson hit .347 (26-for-75) with five home runs, 15 RBIs, 20 runs, four doubles, a triple, nine walks and five stolen bases, while recording a .627 slugging percentage and .438 on-base mark. She committed just three errors in 118 chances at shortstop, posting a .975 fielding percentage. In league play, Thompson led the Aztecs in batting average, runs, hits, doubles, triples (tied), home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage and assists (68).
Overall, Thompson played in all 51 games, starting 50 times, posting a .267 average (40-for-150) with six home runs, 19 RBIs, 27 runs, seven doubles, a triple, 12 walks, seven times hit by pitch and seven stolen bases, while recording a .447 slugging percentage, a .347 on-base percentage and a .944 fielding percentage. Thompson closed her season with a remarkable 22 straight games reaching base safely, including a 12-game hitting streak.
San Diego State finished with a 20-31 overall record in 2018, including an 11-13 mark in MW play for sixth place. The Aztecs won six of their final eight games of the season, including two of the final three series.
2018 Mountain West Awards
Player of the Year: Rebekah Cervantes (Boise State)
Pitcher of the Year: Kelsey Broadus (Boise State)
Defensive Player of the Year: Shelby Thompson (San Diego State)
Freshman of the Year: Alison Seng (Boise State)
Coach of the Year: Cindy Ball (Boise State)
All-Conference First Team (SDSU selections only)
SS Shelby Thompson, So. (San Diego State)