Tafoya Pitcher of the Year, 6 Others Named All-WSC

VC sophomore pitcher Kat Tafoya was named Western State Conference Pitcher of the Year in voting by the conference coaches earlier this month. Meanwhile outfielders Isabel Gallegos and Celeste Pacheco along with infielder Jalen Barron all earned first team All-WSC selections. Leanna De La Cruz, Abby Strong and Morgan Albertsen all were named second team all-conference.

Tafoya, a Foothill Tech product, appeared in 11 games during the Covid-shortened season, starting eight with five complete games. She recorded 50 strikeouts in 51.2 innings for a 6.77 K/7 ratio. She gave up 44 hits and 30 walks during the year for a 1.43 WHIP and she posted a 4.06 earned run average as the Pirates No. 1 hurler. She also had a .970 fielding percentage.  At the plate, Tafoya batted .302 with eight runs batted in.

Gallegos, another Foothill Tech grad, roamed the outfield defensively while providing VC with punch at the plate. She batted .407 on the year with 20 RBI, both second on the team. She had a team-high three home runs and led the squad with a .722 slugging percentage. She also had a team-best four stolen bases. Gallegos had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage defensively.

Pacheco, a Santa Paula graduate, was also a fixture in the Ventura outfield with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. She was VC's lead-off hitter batting .296 with a .465 on-base percentage. She drew a team-high 16 walks and was second on the team with 16 runs scored. 

Barron, a product of St. Bonaventure High School, was VC's most productive hitter. She slashed .459/.529/.705 with a team-high 21 RBI. She also led the team with 28 base hits, 11 for extra bases, and 21 runs scored in VC's 18 games. She was a .903 fielder on defense from her third base position.

De La Cruz (Oxnard HS), Strong (Foothill Tech HS) and Albertsen (Nordhoff HS) all earned second-team All-WSC accolades. De La Cruz hit .321/.426/.484 with 23 hits, second-best on the team, while Strong anchored the defense from her shortstop position with 36 assists and a .957 fielding percentage. Albertsen was VC's second pitcher with eight starts in 11 appearances. She had an ERA of 3.67 with a 1.43 WHIP in 55.1 innings of work.

Ventura ended the season with a 12-6 record in their shortened late-spring campaign. Their 11-5 mark in conference play produced a .688 winning percentage, the highest mark among the four teams who played 10 or more WSC games this season.