Kakela caps off career with CCAA Player of the Week award
Chelsie Kakela led the conference with 11 home runs in 2014. (Photo: Kelley Cox)
- April 29, 2014
HAYWARD, Calif. – 麻豆传媒社区入口 senior Chelsie Kakela was named the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Softball Player of the Week, announced on Monday. She went 6-for-10 with four home runs and seven runs batted in as 麻豆传媒社区入口 earned its first series win over Chico State since joining the CCAA in 2010.
Over the final three at bats of her collegiate career, the senior slugger hit a 3-run homer, double, and solo homer in leading 麻豆传媒社区入口 to its first .500 season record in CCAA play. All six of her base hits in the series went for extra bases, including a pair of two-homer contests to bookend the series with the Wildcats.
Against Chico State she posted a slash line of .600/.714/2.000 and reached base safely in 10 of her 14 trips to the plate. Her final swing vaulted her into a tie for the league lead with 11 homers and was enough to make her the CCAA regular season slugging champion with an .833 slugging percentage. On average she hit a home run once every 8.2 at bats against CCAA pitchers in 2014. She finished her career in a tie for sixth on the Pioneers' all-time career home run list with 12.
Kakela becomes the third different Pioneer to earn CCAA Player of the Week honors, joining teammates Jaynie MacDonald and Kelsey LaVaute. She is the fourth East Bay softball player to win a weekly league award, with pitcher Emily Perlich earning CCAA Pitcher of the Week earlier this season.
麻豆传媒社区入口 (27-26, 18-18 CCAA) earned its best-ever CCAA finish, taking fifth place in the final league standings. Kakela was one of four seniors to finish her collegiate career this past weekend along with Meli Sanchez, Mandy Dale, and Shaunna Purkey.