The National Fastpitch Coaches Association honored five Big West players with its announcement the 2013 NFCA Division I All-West Region Team today.
Hawai’i senior standouts Kaia Parnaby and Kelly Majam claimed first-team all-region honors, while junior teammate Jazmine Zamora was a second-team recipient. Long Beach State sophomore Shayna Kimbrough and Cal State Fullerton sophomore Desiree Ybarra also were named to the second team.
Parnaby, the Big West Pitcher of the Year, broke two long-standing Big West single-season records in 2013. Her 37 wins set a new benchmark for Big West hurlers, trumping the 35 that Cal Poly Pomona's Rhonda Wheatley amassed in 1987. In addition, Parnaby unseated former UH standout Brooke Wilkins as the all-time strikeouts leader. Wilkins, a mentor to Parnaby in their native Australia, tallied 324 strikeouts in 1994. Parnaby fanned double-digit batters 11 times this season en route to 325 K's. The southpaw was an astounding 37-5 with a conference-low 1.47 ERA and just 43 walks in 290.0 innings pitched. She accumulated 11 shutouts and went the distance in 36 of her 44 starts.
Majam received the third all-region honor of her career after being recognized in 2012 (second team) and 2010 (first team). The 2013 Big West Defensive Player of the Year, Majam capped off an outstanding senior season with a conference-leading 18 home runs, the second-highest total in the Big West's single-season record book. She terrorized opposing pitchers, topping the league in on-base percentage (.462) and slugging percentage (.752), as 33 of her 53 hits went for extra bases. Majam's 57 runs scored leads the Big West and is just two off the single-season record. Her 18 home runs also helped UH set a conference single-season team record with 80. Majam also anchored the outfield with just one error in 60 chances for a .985 fielding percentage.
Zamora, an All-Big West First Team selection, led UH in average (.359) and ranked third in the conference in that category. She also had the 10th-best slugging percentage (.549) and tied for seventh in hits (55) among the league leaders. The second baseman produced nine doubles, six home runs and 29 RBI for one of the nation's most potent offenses.
Kimbrough gives Long Beach State an all-region honoree for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons. The sophomore earned 2013 Big West Player of the Year honors as the sparkplug atop the 49er lineup, ranking second in the conference in batting average (.374) and leading the circuit in hits (74). In addition she tied for second in the Big West in runs scored (39) and tied for seventh in stolen bases (13). Those numbers placed her among the top single-season performances in LBSU history as she landed at No. 2 in average, tied for No. 3 in hits and No. 5 in stolen bases.
Ybarra was honored on the all-region second team as a utility player/pitcher. She hit .260 with a team-best 12 doubles, three home runs and 23 RBI. In the circle, she posted a 9-13 record with a 2.86 ERA. Ybarra had two complete games and a save among her 40 appearances.