College Update: Leyva excels in stellar season at CalLu
The following are updates on local athletes at the collegiate level.
Olivia Leyva (La Cañada High, 2014) Cal Lutheran softball junior: Accolades and superlatives abound when wrapping up the extraordinary season put forth by Leyva, who continues to dazzle on the soccer field and softball diamond for Cal Lutheran.
Leyva, who earned All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors for soccer in the fall, garnered first-team All-SCIAC recognition and was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Assn. All-West Region third team.
Across the board, Leyva’s numbers were outstanding. She led her team in every offensive category with a .373 batting average, which was second in the SCIAC, and a conference-leading 32 runs batted in. She added six triples and a .736 slugging percentage.
In addition, she had 41 hits, 10 doubles, six home runs, 23 runs, 11 walks and a .419 on-base percentage.
CLU struggled to a 17-19 record with a 14-14 SCIAC.
Leyva, a third baseman, ended the season on a high note with three straight multiple-hit games in which she went a combined eight for 10.
Sofia Stefan (La Cañada resident) Stanford water polo sophomore: Stefan was a part of history for the Cardinal on May 14 as teammate Maggie Steffens scored with nine seconds remaining to lead second-seeded Stanford to an 8-7 triumph over top-seeded UCLA in the NCAA championship in Indianapolis.
Playing in its eighth consecutive NCAA title final, Stanford won its sixth NCAA title, its fifth over the last seven seasons and also tied UCLA for the most athletic championships at 113.
Stefan, who attended the Transfiguration Academy and trained with the U.S. Women’s Cadet and Youth National teams for three years and was a Junior Olympic gold medalist at Rose Bowl Aquatics, had two goals on the season for Stanford (23-3). Stefan, a driver, is one of 14 players scheduled to return from the 20-player championship roster.
Stefan’s first NCAA goal came on Jan. 14 in a 17-1 victory against San Jose State to open the season with her second tally of the season coming later in the day in a 21-2 win over UC Davis.
Daniel Enzminger (Flintridge Prep, 2014) Claremont-Mudd-Scripps baseball junior: Enzminger put together a productive season for the Stags.
Pitching out of the bullpen, he made 10 appearances across 21 innings with a 3.43 earned-run average with a 0-1 record, 14 strikeouts and 10 walks.
Enzminger held the opposition scoreless over his final four appearances over 6 2/3 innings.
Claremont finished the season in the final week of April with a 16-21 record and a 10-14 mark in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Andres Kim (St. Francis High, 2015) Pasadena City College baseball sophomore: A bounce-back from the University of San Diego, Kim’s presence was a key factor in Pasadena putting forth one of its greatest seasons and one in which it prospered following years of futility.
PCC advanced to the postseason for the first time in 45 years and captured its first South Coast Conference outright title since 1967.
Kim, an All-SCC first-team choice as a second baseman, hit .335 (52 for 155) through 41 games for Pasadena (26-15) with a team-leading 43 runs and eight stolen bases. Kim added 26 runs batted in, 14 extra-base hits, including 11 doubles, and 20 walks.
Kim boasted a 10-game hitting streak at one point and hit safely in nine of the final 10 games of the campaign.
A 9-2 defeat to El Camino in the Super Regional round of the California Community College Athletic Assn. postseason ended the Lancers’ season on May 13, with Kim connecting for a solo home run.
Twitter: @TCNGrantGordon
