HOMEGROWN REPORT
BYU's Le'i best in Mountain West
By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer
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Brigham Young senior first baseman Ianeta Le'i was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year in a vote by league coaches.
The 2002 Iolani graduate was also named the conference's player of the year in 2004 and was the MWC Freshman of the Year in 2003.
"I was pretty excited," said Le'i, who added that it was also a very bittersweet ending to her career, with BYU falling at the NCAA Regionals this past week.
"Just knowing we could have done better, we should have won our regional," she said. "It didn't go how I thought it would. And on top of that, I was sad that (my career at BYU) is over. But I had other experiences with this sport, so I'm grateful for the opportunities it's given me and the people I got to meet through it."
This season she led the league with a .540 batting average in MWC play to help her team to its second straight 40-win season. She tallied a league-leading 11 home runs, 38 RBIs, a slugging percentage of 1.127, and an on-base percentage of .603.
"Being it was my last year, I had a lot of experience," she said of her hitting this year. "Our coach told us to have a sense of urgency. This is it. A combination of those things made me feel like I had to leave it all on the field."
Le'i joins San Diego State's Celena Velasquez as two of only four players in Mountain West history to be named all-conference four straight years.
Senior third baseman Ashlyn Russell (Baldwin '02) and sophomore center fielder Emi Snow (Kamehameha '04) were both named to the NCAA Tournament Provo Regional All-Tournament team. BYU lost to Kansas, 2-1, to end its season Friday.
MORE SOFTBALL
Daniel hit .302 with 10 home runs and 27 RBI in 53 games, including making 49 starts. She also had five doubles, one triple, and scored 32 runs.
BASEBALL
All four play for Yavapai College (54-10) in Prescott, Arizona. Catcher Aaron Asher ('Aiea 2004), shortstop Troy Hanzawa (Mid-Pacific 2004), third baseman Milton Loo (Moloka'i 2004) and pitcher Kirby Yates (Kaua'i 2005) play for the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference champions. Yates has missed most of the season with an elbow injury.
Hanzawa, who transferred from Hawai'i after one season, is batting .395 with 31 RBIs. Loo, a ninth-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Reds last year, is batting .351 with 53 RBIs and a team-leading 32 steals. Asher is batting .299 with 31 RBIs.
Yavapai is among 10 teams in the tournament, which features JC teams from around the country.
Whittier sophomore designated hitter Matt Morgado (Kamehameha '03 of Wahiawa) was named to the second team.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Tokoro also received the women's basketball team's Most Outstanding Player award.
She was named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association all-West Region second-team.
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
COMMITMENTS
Kahalehau joins Paepaetele Poasa out of Taft (Calif.) and Farrington on the team.
Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.
