IRVINE, Calif. – Chaminade University softball players
Cheyne Obara (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) and
Haley Hayakawa (Torrance, Calif./South) were recognized Tuesday by the Pacific West Conference for postseason honors.
As voted by the conference coaches, Obara was named the PacWest's Defensive Player of the Year while Hayakawa was selected all-conference third team outfielder.
Obara earned the award after helping the Silverswords finish the year with a .965 team fielding percentage, the highest in school history. The junior has started every game at second base for the 'Swords since her freshman season, had a .960 fielding percentage in 2021 and helped turn six double plays. She also made several stellar defensive plays, continuously taking hits and potential runs away from opposing batters.
Hayakawa, who started 21 games in left field and two more in center, was the Silverswords' batting champion with a .377 average, seventh best in the PacWest and the highest by a Chaminade hitter since 2014. The freshman set a school record with a .506 on-base percentage which was fifth in the PacWest in 2021. Hayakawa was tied for the team lead with 23 hits and was hit by pitches a conference-leading 10 times.
Concordia Irvine had three conference awardees which includes the Player of the Year (McKinsey Thorpe), Pitcher of the Year (Callie Nunes) and Newcomer of the Year (Kelsea Sweeney). Haley Randall of Academy of Art was the Freshman of the Year while Biola's Nikki Udria was the Coach of the Year.
The Silverswords are 12-12 on the year, their first non-losing season since 2013. While their regular season is over, they may still in contention for one of the six NCAA West Regional berths depending on where they will be ranked when the final region rankings are released on Wednesday. At No. 8 in last week's rankings, their path is somewhat blocked.
Central Washington is ranked sixth but had to pull out of last week's GNAC Tournament due to health and safety protocols. Chaminade's fellow PacWest member Dominican University of California, the conference's Northern California Pod champion who occupies the No. 7 ranking, is hosting the PacWest AQ (Automatic Qualifier) Pod Series this week to determine the PacWest's automatic bid to the regional. However a losing record by the Penguins in the four-game playoff may offer the 'Swords a glimmer of hope.
The complete Division II Championship field will be announced on Monday, May 17 at 4 a.m. Hawai'i time on NCAA.com.
