IRVINE, Calif. - On the eve of the PacWest Softball Conference Tournament, the host Concordia Golden Eagles earned five All-Conference selections led by First Team pick and Newcomer of the Year Kayla Rodgers.

A transfer from GCU, Rodgers led CUI in nearly every major category: batting average (.403), hits (62), home runs (7), RBI (36), triples (5), total bases (104) and steals (19 for 21), plus OPS (1.139). She collected at least two hits in 21 games and had multiple RBI on nine occasions. Rodgers also started all 51 regular season games, had 11 doubles and covered tons of ground in left field to prevent extra base hits. She was also named to the NFCA DII Player of the Year Watch List and enters the postseason on a 10-game hitting streak.

Jessica Im hit .343 this regular season and made Second Team All-PacWest.  A starter for every game for CUI in the outfield this year, she was second on her team in hits (57) & runs (133) and worked a team-high 22 walks along with six steals as featured lead-off hitter. Hit safely in 38 of 51 games with an .832 OBP. She has been a valuable and versatile part of CUI's team after being named PacWest Freshman of the Year last season as a corner outfielder and then moving to centerfield down the stretch as a sophomore.

A trio of Golden Eagles were voted Third Team All-PacWest, including a pair of young pitchers.

Kacie Gossett went 11-3 with a 1.57 ERA and 2 saves in her first regular season with the Golden Eagles. The true freshman went on to lead CUI in wins (11), complete games (7), shutouts (3), strikeouts (61) and appearances (22). She tossed her first career no-hitter against HPU and was named PacWest Pitcher of the Week in early March. The Claremont High School alum also boasts an insane 5-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (61-to-12).

Meanwhile, Jayden Nishi went 10-1 with a 1.85 ERA as a sophomore with four complete games, three shutouts and a save. The Torrance, Calif. native started 6-0 in her first six appearances and pitched 72.0 innings with 44 strikeouts with 14 starts. Two of her four complete games were two-hit shutouts (at HPU & ART U). Similar to Rodgers, Nishi also made the NFCA DII Pitcher of the Year Watch List and was named PacWest Pitcher of the Week in early February.

The third member from Concordia on the Third Team All-PacWest squad is Audrey Robles, who earned the nod as a utility player. Robles hit .294 with eight doubles, one homer and 36 RBI while starting all 51 games as a sophomore. The Yorba Linda, Calif. native from Esperanza High School led CUI in RBI for most of the season in the heart of the order and primarily split time between second base and third base, while also getting at-bats as the DP and briefly playing some shortstop.

CUI opens the PacWest Tournament on Wednesday, April 30 at 5 p.m. as the No. 2 seed against No. 3 seed Azusa Pacific.  Regular season champion Biola faces Dominican in the first game of the tourney at 2 p.m.  

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It is a double elimination tournament, with two squads getting eliminated on Thursday and the two surviving teams making it to Championship Friday, where the emerging school will punch its ticket into the NCAA Regional Tournament by claiming the automatic bid. CUI was ranked No. 5 in the recent regional rankings and the Golden Eagles are trying to capture the Conference Tournament title for the third straight season.

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