Nohara Selected to NFCA All-West Region First Team

STARKVILLE, Miss. - New Mexico State junior Hoku Nohara has been named to the 2010 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I All-West Region Team announced Thursday, May 20.

Nohara's selection marks the second straight season that an Aggie has been named to the All-West Region team and the third NM State player honored in the past four years under the direction of head coach Kathy Rodolph. Last season, teammate Tiare Jennings also earned first team accolades. In 2007, Ashley Roszkos earned second team recognition.

"I am thrilled that the coaches in our region validated Hoku Nohara's efforts this year," Rodolph said. "We recruited Hoku for her championship experience and mentality. She has worked hard to excel at this level and has done a tremendous job anchoring the middle of our lineup. I am always glad to see hard work pay off for our student-athletes."

The Aggie first baseman ended the season in grand style at the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Softball Tournament with two home runs in three at-bats while recording five walks for NM State. Nohara's slugging percentage on the weekend was an amazing 2.667 while her on-base percentage was .850. The two home runs allowed Nohara to finish the season with 16 round trippers, a personal best mark that ranks second all-time in NM State history.

Nohara earned second team WAC honors in 2010 after garnering first team honors last year. The powerful slugger led the Aggies in home runs (16), RBI (62), total bases (118), doubles (14), walks (37), slugging percentage (.825), on-base percentage (.518), putouts (329) and batting average (.378).

On the national stage, Nohara ranks among the country's best in nine categories: RBI per game (1.15 - No. 11); slugging percentage (.825 - No. 12); home runs (16 - No. 23); home runs per game (0.30 - No. 30); on-base percentage (.518 - No. 33); walks per game (0.69 - No. 42); sacrifice flies (3 - No. 52); doubles per game (0.26 - No. 103) and batting average (.378 - No. 106).

She set three NM State career records this season in home runs (40); RBI (136) and putouts (1,010) prior to her senior season. Nohara also tied an Aggie single-game record with seven RBI at New Mexico on Apr. 20.

Earlier this season, Nohara earned WAC Hitter of the Week honors for her performance against Northern Colorado and then-No. 21 Tennessee. The award marked Nohara's third career weekly accolade from the conference.

The Waimanalo, Hawai'i, native hit .556 (5-of-9) with a double, three home runs, five runs scored and seven RBI in three games. She posted a 1.667 slugging percentage and a .636 on-base percentage and walked twice. In the first half of the doubleheader against Northern Colorado, she went 2-for-5 with a double and a home run. In the nightcap, she batted 3-for-3 with a pair of homers four runs scored and four RBI.

A total of 256 players from 116 different institutions comprise this season's 10 regional teams, including first and second teams for each region. Seven other WAC student-athletes earned an All-Region honor.

The all-region teams were chosen by NFCA member coaches from each region, and all the honorees will now be eligible for selection to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America first, second or third teams. In addition, conference pitchers and players of the year not selected to the regional teams were added for All-America consideration.

The NFCA Division I All-American teams will be announced on Wednesday, June 2.

The entire 2010 NFCA Division I All-Region teams are available by clicking the link at the top of this page. The complete West Region team can be found below.

For the latest up-to-date information on Aggie softball click NMStateSports.com.

West Region

First Team

Pos. Name School

P Samantha Beasley San Diego State

P Kenzie Fowler Arizona

C Stacie Chambers Arizona

1B Hoku Nohara New Mexico State

2B GiOnna DiSalvatore UCLA

3B Melissa Gonzalez Hawai'i

SS Katelyn Boyd Arizona State

UT/P Megan Langenfeld UCLA