Seven Cuesta Softball players were selected to the 2021 All Western State Conference teams, while Freshman Katie Lamar (Sacramento) was nominated for the 2021 All-State team. Lamar was joined on the all-WSC First Team by Pitcher Maddy Mata (Sanger HS) and Infielder Clarissa Ellwein (Saugus HS). The Cougars placed Bailee Crawford (Atascadero HS) and the squad's lone sophomore Natalie Ziegler (SLO HS) on the all-WSC Second Team, while Pitcher Leea Brown (Tulelake HS) and Kirra Vargas (Paso Robles HS) were accorded all-WSC Honorable mention. The Cougars were limited to only 25% of their pre-pandemic schedule and posted a 9-1 record and were perfect until losing an extra-inning road game on the final day of the season. Cuesta Coach Jenel Guadagno rebuilt the program during her first two seasons but has only reaped partial rewards while leading her program through the past two pandemic marred campaigns. Over the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Guadangno's Cougars compiled a 25-8 overall record and an 11-1 record against the WSC.
Returning Freshman Infielder Katie Lamar (Sacramento) was selected to the 2021 All Western State Conference First Team and was nominated to the 2021 All-State team. Lamar built on her abbreviated 2020 season to earn All-State honors. She batted .452, while adding a team-leading .839 slugging percentage. Lamar played on the corners of the infield and in the middle of the Cougars' batting order. She scored a team-high 18 runs and drove in a dozen more. She also led the team with both four doubles and two home runs.
Mutli-talented Maddy Mata (Sanger HS) was selected to the 2021 All Western State Conference First Team. In the pitching circle, she started and completed half of the Cougars games, while posting a 4-1 record with a 5.65 ERA. She hurled team-high with 34.2 innings and paced the staff with nine strikeouts. On offense, she batted at a .433 clip and accounted for 22 runs over the ten-game season.
Freshman Shortstop Clarissa Ellwein (Saugus HS) was selected to the 2021 All Western State Conference First Team. Ellwein anchored the middle of both the Cougars' offense and defense. On offense, the first-year player drove in a team-high 15 runs and scored 13 more, while batting .366. On defense, Ellwein was in the middle of every play and she was flawless. She did not commit an error on the season, despite leading the Cougars with 52 total chances and 27 assists on defense. Cuesta has only been keeping defensive statistics since 2013 and the only other error free season of record was only for 31 chances.
Returning Freshman Baillee Crawford (Atascadero HS) and the team's lone Sophomore Natalie Ziegler (SLO HS) were both accorded All Western State Conference Second Team honors. Crawford batted a team-high .462 on the season, while also drawing a team-high eight base-on-balls. She sparked the Cougars' offense with an On-Base Percentage of .600 and was second on the team with 15 runs scored. Ziegler provided the Cougars with a powerful bat from the leftside on offense and, occasionally, joined the battery as a left-handed catcher. She batted .333 for the Cougars and his signed with Westcliff University for the 2021-22 season
Freshmen Leea Brown (Tulelake HS) and Kirra Vargas (Paso Robles HS) were both accorded 2021 All-Western State Conference Honorable Mention. Brown was the other half of the Cougars 1-2 punch in the pitching circle and enjoyed an undefeated season. Brown authored five complete games and won them all, while posting a team-low earned-run average of 3.84. Vargas raised her batting average nearly 100 points from 2020's abbreviated season. She batted .409 and joined fellow all-WSC selections Crawford, Lamar and Mata to provide Cuesta with a quartet of sluggers hitting above .400.
2021 WSC Softball Awards
Katie Lamar-All-WSC First Team, All State
Maddy Mata- All-WSC First Team
Clarissa Ellwein- All-WSC First Team
Bailee Crawford- All-WSC Second Team
Natalie Ziegler- All-WSC Second Team
Leea Brown - All-WSC Honorable Mention
Kirra Vargas - All-WSC Honorable Mention
