IRVINE, Calif. – Softball has been a part of Chaminade University intercollegiate athletics since 1988. Throughout the 37-year history of the program, the team has never had the Pacific West Conference's best player. That is until now.
On Tuesday, the conference announced its All-PacWest Teams where shortstop
Taryn Fujioka (Aiea, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) was named the PacWest Player of the Year in voting conducted by the conference coaches.
Three other Silverswords were also named to the all-conference teams.
Keaolani Takemura-Brehme (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mid-Pacific Institute) and
Larchelle Tuifao (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kapolei) were both named to the first team at catcher and designated player, respectively. Second team honors went to Fujioka and
Jaeda Kumaewa-Cabunoc (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Roosevelt) at third base.
Fujioka won the PacWest's regular season batting title, also a first for a Chaminade player, hitting .415, the second-highest in school history while her .644 slugging percentage, 1.125 OPS (on-base plus slugging) and six triples all led the conference. The junior also finished second in the PacWest in hits (49) and on-base percentage (.481). Fujioka, who was third-team shortstop in 2023, had a team-high 17 extra base hits including nine doubles and two homers with 26 runs and 16 RBI along with five steals. Defensively, she helped turn nine double plays, which helped Chaminade finish the regular season finish second in Division II in double plays per game (0.58).
Takemura-Brehme earned her second straight first-team catcher honor after hitting .336 with 20 runs and 19 RBI. She started 34 of the 'Swords' 36 games as the team's backstop where her five runners thrown out trying to steal was third in the PacWest. The senior departs ranked fourth in the school's all-time batting list with a career .342 average. Takemura-Brehme is also fourth in career hits (151) and third in RBI (83).
Tuifao, a 2023 third team selection, slashed .358/.434/.594 this season, all of which ranks in the PacWest's top four while driving in a team-high 21 runs with 11 doubles. The junior homered four times including the first three at the two-year-old cavernous Silversword Field where the fences are 225 feet from home plate, the furthest in the PacWest. Tuifao had a team-high 12-game hitting streak in March, the fourth-longest in program history.
Kumaewa-Cabunoc, who was also named to the All-PacWest Second Team in 2023 and third team utility in 2022, had six runs and seven RBI in her fifth and final year in a Chaminade uniform. A superb defender at the hot corner, she turned seven double plays this season. Kumaewa-Cabunoc was also the 'Swords' closer, making five pitching appearances with two saves and a 0.00 ERA.
PacWest champion Concordia University Irvine dominated the other top awards including Courtney Koelmans as pitcher of the year, Kaia Nisby as defensive player of the year, Megan Casper the newcomer of the year, Jessica Im with freshman of the year and Crystal Rosenthal as coach of the year.
