Three key members of Central Valley’s varsity girls softball team were recognized during the Western Athletic Conference year-end coaches’ meeting, including Scarlett Lloyd, Brianna Quiroz and Nayeli Pelayo.

“These girls were selected as all league for a reason,” Hawks’ head coach Regina Selfridge said. “They’re all hardworking, gifted leaders on the team, and each brings with them a different and unique set of skills. It’s awesome to see the coaches in our league recognized their talents.”

Lloyd, a sophomore, was selected to the WAC First Team for the second year in a row.

“Scarlett has great confidence in her abilities, which is why she is able to compete at such a high level at the varsity level as an underclassman,” Selfridge said.

“All of the hard work and extra hours I’ve put in are starting to pay off,” Lloyd added.

Scarlett was one of the top hitters and pitchers in the WAC.

She batted .621 from the plate with one homer, one double, 10 RBIs, three runs and two stolen bases. 

She had slugging and on-base percentages of .758 and .656, respectively.

Lloyd ranked second in batting average and on-base percentage, third in RBIs and fifth in slugging percentage in conference play.

“She has an incredible bat,” Selfridge said. “She drives hard through the ball. We’ve been working on making her even more formidable by working on hitting into the gaps more. When she hits there, there is definitely some power behind the ball.”

“I scout teams during warmups,” Lloyd said. “I see what their weak points are and attack those areas.”

Scarlett compiled a 2-7 record at pitcher with a league-leading 86 strikeouts.

Pacheco’s Autumn Randles (56 Ks) ranked second behind Lloyd.

Scarlett had 47 strikeouts in 2017.

“I have surprised myself,” Lloyd said. “I’ve improved a lot from freshman to sophomore year. I’ve gotten mentally stronger. I’ve really focused on my mechanics.”

Quiroz also earned first-team, all-conference honors.

The junior third baseman batted .485 with three doubles, two RBIs, seven runs and one stolen base.

“Brianna is one of those unique athletes that is very gifted, but works hard at improving on her own skills,” Selfridge said. “She is uncomfortable with being called a leader, but the girls look to her as one of their leaders. She leads by example. She works hard every practice, every game, and expects the same from her teammates and her coaches. She wants to be challenged and learn to perfect her craft.”

Quiroz was a second-team pick as a sophomore.

“Bri was much more confident this season,” Selfridge said.

Pelayo received second-team all-league honors for the fourth time.

“One of the things I really love about Ny is her knowledge,” Selfridge said. “She calls the pitches for Scarlett and has the last two years. She knows the batter, takes into consideration where they are in the box, the length of their bat, their stance, and how they hit the last time against us. Then calls the right pitch to get the quick out. Ny is going to be tough to replace and will be missed immensely.”

“Nayeli will be missed tremendously,” Lloyd said. “We had a great relationship. When we played, we were on the same page. I trusted her calling my pitches. She knew what I liked to throw.”

Nayeli, a senior catcher, batted .300 with two doubles, four RBIs, one run and one stolen base.

“Ny is extremely comfortable and confident behind the plate, which is why she is so successful,” Selfridge said. “She is the best catcher in the league in my opinion. She is excellent at framing the ball for the pitcher. Very few balls get by her. She has made some incredible plays over her four years on varsity.

Central Valley placed fourth in the WAC standings. The Hawks compiled a 3-7 record.