The Pac-12 announced its annual awards on Wednesday, with voting done by the conference's head coaches, and two Sun Devils were named to the Pac-12 First Team.
Senior catcher Amber Freeman made it on for the third time of her career. Freeman, the 2013 Pac-12 Player of the Year, is hitting a career-best .439 in 2015 with 16 doubles, 15 home runs and 50 RBIs this season.
Senior third baseman Haley Steele also appeared on the 20-person First Team. Steele has hit for at least 10 home runs and 10 doubles in each of her four seasons. She bats .335 with a career-high 13 home runs, .621 slugging percentage and 67 RBIs (ranks third in ASU history).
Senior first baseman Bethany Kemp and sophomore shortstop Chelsea Gonzales were on the Second Team. Kemp, a three-year starter, has hit for a career-high 15 home runs in 2015, tied with Freeman for the team lead. In her career, Kemp is a .312 hitter with 35 home runs and has more walks (86) than strikeouts (78).
Gonzales moved from designated player to shortstop in 2015 and was named to the All-Defensive Team in addition to her Second Team accolades. She is hitting .298 with 11 home runs after taking over for Cheyenne Coyle, who hit .335 with 33 home runs in two seasons with the Sun Devils.
ASU's freshman duo of Breanna Macha and Dale Ryndak were both on the All-Freshman Team. Macha (16-11, 3.98 ERA) and Ryndak (14-8, 5.08 ERA) have thrown nearly 90 percent of ASU's innings this year, so they will be relied upon in the postseason and for years to come.
Junior outfielder Jennifer Soria, sophomore catcher Sashel Palacios and junior second baseman Nikki Girard were honorable mentions on the All-Defensive Team, while Macha, Girard and senior right fielder Sierra Rodriguez were honorable mentions on the All-Pac-12 Team.
UCLA senior Ally Carda repeated as Pac-12 Player of the Year, while Oregon junior Cheridan Hawkins also repeated as Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year. Elsewhere, Arizona's Hallie Wilson won Defensive Player of the Year, Oregon's Jenna Lilley Freshman of the Year and Utah's Amy Hogue was the Coach of the Year.
Reach the reporter at jmjanss1@asu.edu or follow @jjanssen11 on Twitter
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