2019 D2CCA All-West Region Teams

AZUSA, Calif. – Further etching her name in Academy of Art softball history as just a sophomore, All-PacWest Third Team honoree Lauryn Henderson became the third Urban Knight ever to receive selection to the Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-Region Teams. Henderson was named to the All-Region First Team as a catcher.

Comprised of 30 student-athletes from 13 programs, the position-based D2CCA All-West Region Teams are voted on by the NCAA Division II sports information directors from institutions and conference offices. All the honorees now become eligible for selection to the 2019 D2CCA Division II All-America squads.

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 second in the West Region (led Pacific West Conference) and 24th in NCAA Division II while she hit the sixth-most home runs in the West Region (led PacWest), sported the seventh-highest batting average (second in PacWest), and registered the fifth highest on-base percentage (led PacWest). 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 PacWest).

"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."

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.

Brooke Larsen (2018) and Haily MacDonald (2015) were the program's two previous recipients of D2CCA All-Region honors, making Henderson just the third player ever to be named All-Region and the second to join the All-Region First Team specifically.