Softball | 5/14/2026 11:00:00 AM

(Louisville, Ky. - May 14, 2026) - Three Trailblazers were named to the National Fastball Coaches Association Third Team All-Mountain Region, the organization announced on Thursday.

Senior outfielder Lakaiya-Braessia Kahahawai-Kekona, senior pitcher Sauren Garton and sophomore outfielder Kinley Pappas were three of the 14 members selected to the third team.

The first and second teams each had 13 selections and Nebraska led the way among the three teams with eight selections followed by Washington & Oregon with seven selections apiece and Nevada with six.

A First Team All-WAC selection along with a member of the All-WAC Defensive Team, Kahahawai-Kekona saw action in 49 games while making 47 starts.

She ranked fifth in the WAC in batting average hitting .392 and tied for fifth with 14 stolen bases.

Ranking second on the team with 56 hits, the Wailuku, Hawaii native totaled 15 multi-hit contests and tallied a season-best three hits in five games. She also drove in multiple RBIs in six games and scored multiple runs in five contests.

A four-year Trailblazer, Kahahawai-Kekona finished in the top 11 in program history in triples (6, T-5th), stolen bases (45, T-7th), at bats (577, 8th), hits (198, T-9th), runs (127, 11th) & doubles (37, 11th).

Another four-year Trailblazer, Garton earned six wins in the circle as a senior in 2026 finishing fifth in the WAC in innings pitched (122.0) and sixth in strikeouts (65).

Leading the team with 31 appearances, the Pendleton, Ore., native tied for third in the WAC with 26 starts and was fourth in the conference with seven complete games.

Garton tossed a complete game shutout over Utah State on March 1 in a 4-0 win over the Aggies and also notched a complete game seven-inning contest at CSU Bakersfield on April 7 striking out a season-high seven while allowing only four hits and three runs.

Starting all 53 games, Pappas led the WAC in batting average (.450), slugging percentage (.858) & total bases (145), ranked second in doubles (21), triples (6), RBI (54) & on-base percentage (.492) and finished third in runs (52) & hits (76)

Tallying 26 multi-hit games on the season, the WAC Player of the Year registered eight games with three or more hits.

In a 7-4 win over UT Arlington at the WAC Tournament last week, Pappas went 4-for-4 with three singles, belted her team-leading 12th home run of the season, scored three runs and drove in three RBIs.

The three NFCA selections mark the second time in the Division I era the Trailblazers have had selections to the NFCA All-Region Team after Shea Clements & Lauren Almeida were named to the All-West Region Second Team in 2023 while Kate Dolinski & Tanya Windle were selected to the Third Team.