ALISO VIEJO -- The All-Conference Awards released by the Golden State Athletic Conference yesterday showered Vanguard softball with honor in 2024. Vanguard picked up two major laurels, as
Brianna Williams was named the Co-Pitcher of the Year and
Kamryn Walker was announced as the Freshman of the Year. Those two were joined by
Noni Chaves and
Amarah Farley on the All-Conference team to give Vanguard four All-GSAC players. In addition, Williams, Chaves, Farley, and
Adriana Portillo collected GSAC Gold Gloves, as VU picked up the most Gold Glovers in the conference. This mirrors the success the squad had in the 2022 season when VU had five All-Conference players and five Gold Glovers.
Williams has now been named an All-Conference player each year of her career and after three GSAC Pitcher of the Week Performances, she can now lay an equal claim to the title of best hurler in the conference with her first major award of her career. She enters the GSAC Tournament with a 17-5 record overall, a 1.48 ERA, 124 strikeouts, and opponents are hitting .209 against her. Williams was second to Hope International's Allie Puente, who has the other half of the trophy, in wins and shutouts, as Williams has five this season, which is tied for second in the conference. Williams was third in the league in strikeouts and she threw the most complete games with 20. For the third year in a row, Williams has an ERA under two and over 100 Ks. In addition to her strong right arm, Williams has zero errors, 26 assists, and seven putouts on the season, giving Williams a second GSAC Gold Glove after getting one in her freshman season.
Walker has been sensational in her debut campaign, as she leads the Lions in batting average (.433), hits (61), RBI (34), on-base percentage (.497), and triples (six). She is second out of the lineup in extra-base hits with 20 and has 11 doubles, which is third on the squad. Along with those team-leading marks, Walker enters the 2024 GSAC Tournament with the third-best batting average and third-most hits in the league. Her six triples are the most in the GSAC, her OBP is third, and her 18 stolen bases place her fifth in the conference.
Farley has been a strong presence in the VU lineup in her return season and enters the GSAC Tournament second to Walker in hits (57), RBI (29), and triples (five), while her .350 BA is fifth on the squad. She has an OBP of .391, is tied for the team lead in home runs (five), has the most extra-base hits (22) and stolen bases (19), and is second at Vanguard with 12 doubles. As such, she is fourth in the GSAC in stolen bases, fourth in hits, 10th in RBI, tied for eighth in home runs, third in runs scored, and tied for third in doubles. All year long she has been a staple in left field and has been a vacuum for any ball hit her direction, as she has recorded 65 put-outs and has three assists this season, leading to her first GSAC Gold Glove to pair with a California Pacific Conference All-Defensive Team nod in 2023 with Saint Katherine.
Chaves is ending her career on a high note, as the senior is named an All-GSAC player for the third year in succession and she was handed her second-straight GSAC Gold Glove this year. Her .374 batting average is the second-best in her career as are her 49 hits, though her 23 RBI is a new career-high. Her 15 doubles not only lead the Blue and Gold in 2024, but leads the GSAC, and is another career-high for the VU center fielder. She is ninth in batting average in the conference, ninth in hits, and owns the third-best fielding percentage in the league. She has just one error all year in 101 chances, giving her a .990 rate.
Portillo has played a few different infield positions this season but has been rock solid regardless of her spot in the field. She has 42 assists and 28 put-outs in 75 chances for a .933 fielding percentage, with only five errors in her time in the field. She helped the Blue and Gold record the most double plays in the league (19) and the second-best fielding percentage in the conference at .971. She has been just as efficient from the plate, as Portillo is hitting .355 with 22 RBI, one home run, an OBP of .360, and 10 doubles.
The team will get the GSAC Tournament going today against HIU at 3:00 p.m. at The Great Park in Irvine.
