FOUR REBELS EARN ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST HONORS
League home run leader Martinez leads UNLV quartet
League home run leader Ariana Martinez led four UNLV softball players selected to All-Mountain West teams, the league announced Wednesday.
Martinez, a first-team selection, was joined by All-Mountain West Second Team members Maddie Schmidt, Skyler Shaw and April Visser.
Martinez and Visser earned All-Mountain West nods for the second straight season.
Martinez hit 12 home runs in 2023 and also led the conference with 16 doubles, 54 RBIs and 109 total bases. She ranked second in slugging (.708), fourth in on-base percentage (.481), fifth in walks (30), seventh in hits (57) and eighth in batting average (.370).
Schmidt proved to be one of the league’s toughest outs. The senior finished the season with a 30-game streak of reaching base. She led the conference with 36 walks drawn, finished sixth in on-base percentage and was a perfect 21-for-21 stealing bases. Only two Division I players had a 100 percent success rate on more steal attempts. Schmidt led the Mountain West’s shortstops in fielding percentage after moving from the outfield to the infield this season.
Shaw, a Missouri State transfer in her first season with the Rebels, led the Mountain West with a .411 batting average and ranked third with a .494 on-base percentage. Shaw concluded the season on an 11-game hit streak.
Visser ranked in the league’s top-15 players for RBIs, runs scored, triples, home runs, walks and stolen bases. The UNLV graduate led the Rebels in batting with two outs, compiling a .400 batting average and 52 percent success rate advancing runners in the situation.