Four Panthers named to All-SCIAC squad

ORANGE, Calif. – Four members of the Chapman University softball team earned All-SCIAC honors this afternoon after helping the squad to an 18-10 ledger in conference play and a No. 3 seed in the upcoming SCIAC Postseason Tournament. Senior Samantha Whalen and sophomore Mykala Tokunaga were named to the First Team while junior Michaela Foisy and senior Christine LoVerde earned Second Team honors.

Whalen had a breakout final season with the Panthers in which she led the squad both in the box and in the circle. The captain led Chapman and ranked third in the conference with 33 RBI against SCIAC opponents. She ranked second in the SCIAC with 42 hits and nine doubles in conference games. Whalen's .438 batting average against conference opponents ranked tied for sixth in the SCIAC and she struck out just three times against SCIAC pitchers.

In the circle, the Livermore native pitched 39 innings against conference teams, posting a 2-2 record with two complete games. Whalen struck out 17 batters while posting an ERA of 3.95. This is the utility player's first All-SCIAC recognition after dedicating four years to the program.

Newcomer Tokunaga used heavy hitting to help the Panthers earn a place in the postseason tournament. The rookie led the Panthers and ranked second in the SCIAC with a .460 batting average against conference opponents. This season, Tokunaga tallied 22 RBI, four doubles, two triples and two home runs against SCIAC teams.

At first base for the Panthers, the Hilo, Hawaii native led the team with 162 putouts and just four errors for a .976 fielding percentage. She also helped Chapman turn seven double plays against conference opponents.

This is Foisy's third consecutive All-SCIAC award as the Panthers' starting designated player for the last three seasons. This year, Foisy ranked tied for sixth with Whalen with a .438 batting average against conference opponents. She hit six doubles and three triples and stole a team-high 17 bases against SCIAC teams. The Discovery Bay native also led the Panthers and ranked third overall in the SCIAC with 33 runs scored this season.

LoVerde posted a stellar junior season as the Panthers' starting center fielder this year. She batted a career-high .370 against conference opponents while knocking in 17 runs and scoring 23 herself. The Cypress native stepped up to the plate 101 times, tallying five extra base hits and 36 total bases. LoVerde posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage against SCIAC opponents after going 36-for-36 in the outfield.

The Panthers head to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Friday, May 3 as they open up the SCIAC Postseason Tournament with a first-round match against No. 2-seed Pomona-Pitzer at 4 p.m.

by Katie Bell
Sports Information Assistant

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