2013 All-Pacific West Conference Softball Team

San Tan Valley, AZ -- After hitting over .330 for the majority of the season and leading the Urban Knights in several other offensive categories, sophomore Haily MacDonald was selected to the 2013 All-PacWest Softball Team in a Thursday announcement on the weekly PacWest Radio Show. She received All-PacWest Third Team honors as an outfielder for Academy of Art University.

"Haily did a tremendous job for us this season," co-head coach Sami Strinz said. "She was our lead off and a rock for us in the outfield. She is such a team player that she even bared some of the pitching load. I believe this award is the first of many to come for Haily!"


This year, the PacWest coaches or designated representatives from each school selected 43 student-athletes for All-Conference accolades. The squad consisted of a First Team, Second Team, Third Team, as well as Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, and Freshman of the Year.

MacDonald, the only Urban Knight to play in and start all 49 games for ART U in 2013, saw the most playing time of her young collegiate career and delivered a very impressive final stat line. The sophomore ended up leading the team with a .353 batting average, 34 runs scored, four triples, and 13 stolen bases. MacDonald ranked 5th in the PacWest in triples, 12th in hits (59), 13th in both runs scored and stolen bases, and 17th in batting average.

Among the highlights in the early part of the season was a Feb. 15 contest versus eventual PacWest Champion UH Hilo in which MacDonald became the first Urban Knight since 2009 to hit two triples in a single game and later scored the winning run on a delayed double steal in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Santa Rosa, CA native later closed out a memorable month of February with a 4-for-4 outing in a 10-7 win over California Baptist on Feb. 23, increasing her batting average to .414. MacDonald's cumulative average never dipped below .327 from that point through the rest of the season and she continued to show off her speed as eight of her 13 steals followed in April.

MacDonald finished the season with 15 muilt-hit games (2nd on team) and was the only Urban Knight to have a four-hit performance in 2013. In addition to her 10-game hit streak early in the year, she finished the season on a nine-game hitting streak.

For all that she accomplished at the plate, MacDonald also contributed 60.0 innings pitched over 12 starts for Academy of Art. She saved her start for last as the sophomore tossed a complete game shutout with just three hits allowed and no walks against Holy Names on Apr. 20.

This is the first career All-PacWest Team honor for MacDonald. She was a five-time PacWest Weekly Fantastic 15 this season. Fans can watch and listen to a replay of the announcement when it becomes available on KQCK's YouTube Channel.