COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- San Diego State softball junior Allie Light (Lexington, S.C.) has been named the Mountain West Pitcher of the Year, the league announced Wednesday. Light was one of a league-high seven all-MW selections for the Aztecs.
The postseason awards are voted on by the league's nine head coaches and take into account MW games only.
Light was joined on the all-MW first team by sophomore Mac Barbara (Long Beach, Calif.) and junior Makena Brocki (Chino Hills, Calif.), while four SDSU players landed on the second team, including senior Sarah Lehman (Iowa City, Iowa), junior Jillian Celis (Corona, Calif.), and sophomores Cali Decker (Lake Mary, Fla.) and Bella Espinoza (Huntington Beach, Calif.).
Light became San Diego State's 11th MW Pitcher of the Year - the most in league history - and second straight Aztec to win the award (Maggie Balint in 2022). SDSU's other winners have been San Diego State hall of famer Sandra Durazo (2001), Bre DeSanta (2002), Celena Velasquez (2003 and 2004), Christina Ross (2006 and 2008), Samantha Beasley (2010), Rebecca Arbino (2013) and Danielle O'Toole (2014).
Light was 7-1 with two saves and a 1.37 ERA in league play across 61 1/3 innings, striking out 36 against 12 walks, while limiting the opposition to a .213 average. Light, who won four MW Pitcher-of-the-Week awards on the season, tops the MW in league games in ERA, and is tied for first in saves, third in appearances (16), tied for third in wins and fourth in opponent batting average, while pitching for the top pitching staff in the conference.
In all games, Light is 10-6 with an Aztec single-season record seven saves and a 1.85 ERA, striking out 86 with just 17 walks allowed in 106 innings, holding her opponents to a .214 average. Among the national leaders, the right-hander is tied for fifth in saves, and 31st in both walks allowed per seven innings (1.12) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.06).
Barbara made her second straight all-MW first team after being named the MW Player of the Year in 2022. A two-time MW Player of the Week this season, Barbara batted .459 (28-for-61) in league play with eight home runs, 24 RBIs, 18 runs, three doubles, 14 walks and five stolen bases, while posting a .902 slugging percentage and a .564 on-base mark. Barbara's eight home runs are tied for the most in MW-only games. She's also solo second in slugging percentage, on-base percentage, OPS percentage (1.466), total bases (55) and batting average, while ranking in a tie for fourth in RBIs. Overall, Barbara is batting .373 (50-for-134) with 12 home runs, 41 RBIs, 28 runs, eight doubles, 25 walks, seven stolen bases, a .701 slugging percentage and a .472 on-base percentage.
Brocki made her first all-MW team after hitting .371 (23-for-62) in league play with 19 RBIs, 13 runs, eight doubles, four triples, a .629 slugging percentage and a .423 on-base mark. Brocki's eight doubles are the second most in league games, while her four triples are tied for second. Overall, Brocki is hitting .281 (34-for-121) with 29 RBIs, 18 runs, 12 doubles, four triples and six stolen bases. She enters this weekend's Mountain West Championship in the midst of a 19-game streak of reaching base safely, tied for the longest on the team this season (Decker).
Lehman made the most of her one season on The Mesa, going 4-2 in league action with a save and a 3.05 ERA in 39 innings. Lehman, who was a second-team all-Big East selection last year at DePaul after spending 2019-21 with Iowa, struck out 49 in league play and limited her opponents to a MW-low .186 average. Overall, Lehman is 10-4 with three saves and a 2.58 ERA, posting 93 strikeouts in 78 2/3 innings, holding the opposition to a .183 average. Among the national leaders, the right-hander is 38th in hits allowed per seven innings (4.54) and 48th in strikeouts per seven innings (8.28).
Celis made her second MW second team (2021), posting a .313 average (21-for-67) with three home runs, 21 RBIs, 20 runs, seven doubles, three triples and a .642 slugging percentage. Celis, who has started 174 consecutive games, is hitting .345 overall with five home runs, 39 RBIs, 33 runs, 11 doubles, three triples, a .561 slugging percentage and a .419 on-base percentage.
Decker landed on the all-MW second team in her first season at SDSU after transferring from Florida, batting .386 (22-for-57) with a home run, 14 RBIs, 15 runs, 12 walks and a .493 on-base mark. In all games, Decker is hitting .355 (51-for-148) with three homers, 27 RBIs, 25 runs, 24 walks and a .462 on-base mark.
Espinoza made her second all-conference team after earning first-team honors as a freshman last year. In MW games, Espinoza hit .352 (25-for-71) with 25 runs, 10 walks and 13 stolen bases with her 25 runs ranking in a tie for first and her 13 stolen bases second. Overall, Espinoza is batting .367 (58-for-158) with 47 runs and 26 stolen bases.
San Diego State, the defending Mountain West champion with a league-record eight regular-season titles, plays host to the 2023 MW Softball Championship this weekend at SDSU Softball Stadium, the first MW tournament since 2006. The Aztecs (32-15, 16-6 MW) received the No. 2 seed in the six-team tournament and earned a bye into the double-elimination portion with top-seeded Boise State (31-15, 16-5 MW), and will play the winner of third-seeded Colorado State (31-20, 11-10 MW) and sixth-seeded Nevada (30-17, 10-12 MW) at 6:30 p.m. PT Thursday.
2023 Mountain West Awards
Player of the Year: Kelsey Hall (Boise State)
Pitcher of the Year: Allie Light (San Diego State)
Defensive Player of the Year: Alesia Denby (Fresno State)
Freshman of the Year: Jaden Colunga (Utah State)
Coach of the Year: Justin Shults (Boise State)
All-Conference First Team
Mac Barbara, So., DP, San Diego State
Allie Light, Jr., P, San Diego State
Makena Brocki, Jr., INF, San Diego State
Kelsey Hall, Sr, OF, Boise State
Taylor Caudill, Jr., P, Boise State
Eliyah Flores, Sr., INF, Boise State
Ashley York, Jr., OF, Colorado State
Hailey Smith, Jr., OF, Colorado State
Alesia Denby, Sr., INF, Fresno State
Keahiele Mattson, Jr., OF, Fresno State
Chelie Senini, Jr., OF, Nevada
Ashley Archuleta, So., INF, New Mexico
Racheal Hathoot, Jr., INF, New Mexico
Jenessa Ullegue, Sr., P, San José State
Ariana Martinez, So., DP, UNLV
All-Conference Second Team
Cali Decker, So., C, San Diego State
Bella Espinoza, So., OF, San Diego State
Jillian Celis, Jr., INF, San Diego State
Sara Lehman, Sr., P, San Diego State
Autumn Bennett, Sr., INF, Boise State
Jordyn Hutchins, Jr., OF, Boise State
Serena Huchingson, Sr., C, Boise State
Molly Gates, Jr., OF, Colorado State
Danielle Serna, Sr., INF/P, Colorado State
Aaliyah Jenkins, So., C, Nevada
Alyssa Graham, Sr., INF, San José State
April Visser, Sr., INF, UNLV
Maddie Schmidt, Sr., INF/UTL, UNLV
Skyler Shaw, Jr., OF, UNLV
Gabby Jimenez, Sr., INF, Utah State