2019 All-Pacific West Conference Softball Team

IRVINE, Calif. – Following a breakout sophomore season at the plate, catcher Lauryn Henderson represented Academy of Art softball as one of the individuals awarded postseason honors in a Tuesday announcement by the Pacific West Conference office. The PacWest leader in home runs and on-base percentage, second in the conference in batting average, and second in the West Region in slugging percentage, Henderson received selection to the All-PacWest Third Team.

"Lauryn was a pivotal piece of our lineup both offensively and defensively," said head coach Alex Gomez. "She was solid behind the plate, called great games, and always did her job at the plate. She thrived in pressure situations and really did everything she could to ensure the team's success."

This season, the PacWest coaches or designated representatives from each school selected a total of 36 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, Defensive Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, and Freshman of the Year as well as Coach of the Year.

Henderson's second year with the Urban Knights saw her become a fixture in the lineup as she not only produced the highest slugging percentage in the program's single-season history (.802), but also second-most home runs (10), second-highest on-base percentage (.500) and fourth-highest batting average (.423). Her slugging percentage was ranked 24th in NCAA Division II while she hit the sixth-most home runs in the West Region, sported the seventh-highest batting average, and registered the fifth highest on-base percentage. The Game Development major added team-highs of 12 doubles (fifth in PacWest) and 18 walks plus 28 runs batted in (ninth in PacWest) and eight steals (the most by any catcher in the conference).

Just three games into the season, Henderson demonstrated her power with homers in back-to-back PacWest contests versus Notre Dame de Namur on Feb. 23. Then, in a bit of déjà vu, she crushed long balls on the first two days of the Tournament of Champions, starting a stretch where she drove in 12 runs over the course of nine games. In addition to earning her first PacWest Player of the Week honor, she became the first Urban Knight to be named Tournament of Champions Batting Champ after hitting .625 (10-for-16) with eight driven in. Henderson added six more home runs to separate as the lone PacWest player with 10 on the season. She also finished the year with at least one hit in 32 of 39 games played.

This is the first All-PacWest honor in Henderson's career.