LONG BEACH, Calif. -- The Vanguard softball team earned the most All-Pacific West Conference selections in the program's short history in the league today, with four players making the honor roll in 2026.
Leah Mays and
Kamryn Walker were placed on the Second Team, while
Megan Ireland and
Mari Ipatzi were selected to the third team after the Lions only had
Brianna Williams on the Second Team last year.
Walker received her first PacWest laurel and her second all-conference nod in her career after being the Golden State Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and an All-Conference selection in 2024. Walker concluded the season with a .373 batting average, better than her .355 rate from 2025. She struck out only five times this season, the lowest number of her career and one of the lowest in the league. She paced Vanguard with 57 hits, four triples, 19 RBI, and 14 stolen bases on 19 attempts, while ending tied for the lead in doubles (seven) and home runs (one). She had 16 multi-hit games, with her high being three knocks in a game, which she accomplished twice (at home vs. Hawaii Hilo, March 21, & at home vs. Biola, April 25). Walker had a nine-game (Feb. 10 - March 10) and a seven-game (final seven games of the year) hitting streak during the campaign, and she tallied two RBI in a game twice, while her three at home against Chaminade on March 28th being her single-game best in 2026. Her lone home run, the sixth of her career, came at home against Southern Oregon, as her pinch-hit appearance led to a deep bomb over the right-center fence. She had two stolen bases in a game twice in 2026 (against Colorado Mesa and Hawaii Pacific on March 23) and hit over .300 as the leadoff hitter. Her average placed her ninth in the conference at the end of the regular season, with her .429 on-base percentage landing 14th and her .490 slugging rate in 15th. She placed seventh in hits, 16th in runs scored (30), fifth in triples, 16th in at-bats (153), and seventh in stolen bases. On defense, Walker had a career season for fielding percentage (.972), putouts (116), and errors (six), while also snaring 95 assists. She placed ninth in the PacWest in helpers, 18th in putouts, and was one of 46 players with six or fewer errors (regardless of position), while placing 15th in the conference in chances (217).
Mays, Ipatzi, and Ireland all got their first collegiate end-of-year laurels today, and Mays concluded her first VU season with a .266 batting average and an OBP of .300. She tallied 33 hits, four doubles, two triples, and 14 RBI. She netted her first VU hit on January 31 against Western Oregon and had eight multi-hit efforts in 2026, with her three in game one against Dominican being her best. She had three games with two or more RBI, with her trio at home against Hawaii Pacific on March 24 being at the top of her chart. Mays swiped eight bases on nine tries during the season, and she ended tied for 13th in triples in the PacWest. Mays just edged out Walker for the best fielding percentage on the team for infielders at .978 and had only four errors at second base over 185 chances. She assisted on four double plays and had 75 assists in total, placing 23rd in fielding percentage and putouts in the league at the conclussion of the season.
Ipatzi had a career season in her final tour of duty at Vanguard and got rewarded as one of the six pitchers that made up the three All-PacWest Teams. After being flexible in her role the past three years, Ipatzi slotted in as the lead starter for the Blue and Gold in 2026 and completed the year with a 9-9 record across 18 starts. She went the distance on 13 occasions and completed one out shy of 127 innings, fifth in the league, and she set career numbers across her appearance metrics. Her ERA of 2.21 was the best on the team, the best of her career, and fourth in the PacWest at the conclusion of the regular season. Opponents hit .251 off the southpaw, which placed fifth in the league, and she banked 64 strikeouts to pace the staff. This number landed her in eighth in the conference, and 16 of those Ks were of the looking variety, ranking her eighth in th league. She punched out seven hitters at Jessup as her season-high, one day after fanning six Warriors, and the lefty had multiple strikeouts on 16 occasions. Of the 53 runs she allowed, the ninth-fewest runs allowed in the conference, only 40 were earned, and she had two games of more than three earned runs. She completed the season with a season-high five shutouts. Her VU career totals are a 2.35 ERA, a top-20 mark in program history, 147 strikeouts, and an opposing hitter batting average of .250. As a defender, Ipatzi had only one error from the circle and recorded five putouts and 21 assists for a .963 fielding percentage.
Ireland ended with her best season statistically from the plate, with her biggest accomplishment being her 26 walks, a team-high and third in the Pacific West Conference. She had 32 hits and finished tied for second on Vanguard's roster with six doubles in addition to netting seven RBI from the leadoff spot. Her prowess at drawing walks upped her OBP to .435, 11th in the conference, and she had five games with multiple walks, including a season-high of three at home against Azusa Pacific. In addition, Ireland sacrificed her body the most in the conference, as she was hit by a pitch 15 times (23rd in the nation). She pocketed a pair of games with two hits as her best for the year, the first coming on the road at APU and the second coming at home against Hawaii Pacific (March 23). She was a perfect 7-for-7 stealing bases and hit above .400 as the leadoff hitter in 2026. While she moved to the designated player spot for a majority of her starts, Ireland netted a .967 fielding percentage between first and second base, with 69 putouts and 19 assists.
