Four Gauchos earn All-Big West honors

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Four UC Santa Barbara softball players garnered All-Big West Conference honors it was announced on Tuesday afternoon by the league. Sophomore shortstop Keilani Jennings earned All-Big West First Team honors while junior pitcher Krista Cobb and junior outfielder Allison Taylor garnered Second Team distinction. Freshman second baseman Kathryn Pilpil was awarded with an Honorable Mention nod.
 
Jennings – whose season was cut short by a knee injury – started 41 games at shortstop. She led the team with her .317 batting, 71 total bases, .592 slugging and .427 on-base percentage. Jennings also tied the school record for doubles in a season after hitting 15.
 
Despite ending the season early, Jennings still ranks first among Big West players in doubles, seventh in RBI (31) and ninth in home runs (6). She hit .464 across the nine conference games she played in with 13 hits, 12 runs, six doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI and 31 total bases. Her slugging percentage in league play was 1.107 and her on-base percentage was .559, which led the team.
 
Jennings had 11 multiple-hit games during the season, including four during league games. She ended her season amidst a hot streak, which included eight consecutive games with a hit and six games with a RBI. The All-Big West honor marked the first of Jennings’ career.
 
Cobb is no stranger to year-end accolades. The 2009 Big West Co-Freshman Pitcher of the Year was a First Team pick as a rookie, an Honorable Mention honoree as a sophomore and now a Second Team selection.
 
The junior got hot during league play posting a 9-6 conference mark during her 19 appearances. She led the team with her 2.32 ERA in league and her 120.2 innings pitched, which also led all conference pitchers. The West Hills, Calif. native twice won Big West Pitcher of the Week honors after leading the Gauchos to series wins over Cal State Northridge and UC Davis. She also pitched the second no-hitter of her career against UC Riverside (April 16).
 
For the season, Cobb compiled a 15-14 overall record and posted a 3.33 ERA.
 
Taylor has earned her first All-Big West honor after a solid year at the plate. The outfielder posted a .304 batting average and led the Gauchos with 33 RBI. She was second on the team in doubles (12), slugging (.466) and total bases (69). Among Big West players, she ranked sixth in RBI and fifth in doubles.
 
Taylor had 13 multiple hit games during the season and had seven multiple hit games during Big West play. This marks her first conference honor.
 
Rounding out the honorees is Pilpil, who proved to be an amazing addition to the Gaucho lineup. The freshman showed a knack for getting on-base and managed to do so in all but three contests during the season. She was second on the team after batting .308 overall and she hit .347 during conference games with a team-leading 26 hits, 13 runs, 31 total bases and 12 walks.
 
For the season, she led the team in runs (33) and walks (29). Among Big West players, she ranked second in walks, sixth in runs, seventh in hits (52), third in triples (3) and eighth in stolen bases (11). The freshman had eight of her 13 multiple hit games come during conference play.
 
All four of the Gauchos’ 2011 All-Big West honorees are anticipated to return next season.
 
UCSB posted a 27-26 overall record in 2011 and finished fourth in the Big West with an 11-10 record.