Trio picked for preseason honors

The Grand Canyon softball team was picked to finish second in the WAC while three Lopes players earned Preseason All-WAC nods.

New Mexico State was picked to win the conference while Seattle U rounded out the top three behind the Lopes in second. The team vote was decided by the conference's seven head coaches, who could not vote for their own teams.

"We're excited for the upcoming season," head coach Ann Pierson said. "I'm very happy for Bo (Aguilar), Shea and Sierra for their Preseason All-WAC honors. Based on what they did last year, I think it's very deserving. All three have been great student-athletes in our program. We anticipate the three of them having an impact on this year's season as well."

The GCU senior sister pair of Shea and Sierra Smith was chosen, along with Lopes junior Brianna Aguilar, for Preseason All-WAC honors. All three were honored by the WAC in previous seasons. The full list of 2019 Preseason All-WAC selections can be found below.

A native of Waddell, Ariz., Shea Smith earned All-WAC second team honors as a freshman and sophomore and has started all 163 games of her career. As the regular shortstop for the Lopes, Shea Smith led the team with 43 runs and 21 walks last season while tallying a .335 clip from home plate. She batted in 35 runs while tallying nine doubles, three triples and two home runs on the season. She enters her final GCU season at a .357 career batting average.

Sierra Smith earned All-WAC first team honors in 2017 as well as second-team honors for the West Region last season. GCU's third baseman was named to the All-WAC Tournament team last year after breaking or tying four tournament records, including most hits (12), doubles (8), RBIs (14) and most doubles in a game (3). She led the Lopes with a .392 batting average while racking up 50 RBI from 17 doubles, five triples and six home runs. She enters her senior year with a career batting average of .353 (186 for 527).

A native of Tucson, Ariz., Aguilar is a two-time All-WAC second team selection and earned All-West Region third team honors last year. Aguilar holds a career record of 23-23 with an ERA of 3.32.

Last season, Aguilar led the Lopes with a team-high 78 strikeouts in 32 appearances and 26 starts in the circle. The right-hander tossed 17 complete games and three shutouts, finishing the season with All-WAC Tournament team honors in GCU's first NCAA Division I postseason appearance.

The Smiths, Aguilar and the Lopes open the season with a doubleheader against Charlotte at GCU Softball Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 7. The first pitch is slated for 5 p.m. (Phoenix time).

2019 WAC Softball Preseason Coaches Poll

Rank	Teams (first-place Votes)	Points
1.	New Mexico State (5)	35
2.	Grand Canyon (2)	32
3.	Seattle U	25
4.	Utah Valley	21
T-5.	California Baptist	13
T-5.	Kansas City	13
7.	CSU Bakersfield	8

2019 Softball Preseason All-WAC Team

Player	School	Year	Position
Brianna Aguilar	Grand Canyon	Jr.	P
Peyton Angulo	Utah Valley	So.	UTL
Nikki Butler	NM State	Jr.	C.
Victoria Castro	NM State	Sr.	OF
Madison Cathcart	Seattle U	Jr.	INF
Ally Choate	Seattle U	So.	OF
Kayla Green	NM State	Sr.	P
Kelsey Horton	NM State	Sr.	UTL
Andie Larkins	Seattle U	Sr.	P
Carley Nance	Seattle U	So.	P
Shea Smith	Grand Canyon	Sr.	INF
Sierra Smith	Grand Canyon	Sr.	INF
Lyndsay Steverson	Utah Valley	Jr.	INF

Preseason Player of the Year: Kelsey Horton, NM State
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Kayla Green, NM State

Grand Canyon University Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Brianna Aguilar

Shea Smith

Sierra Smith

Related Videos