BRENHAM, TX -- Blinn softball players Tara Bell, Brittany Arredondo, Alex Yarbrough, Ariel Gomez and Sara Vaughn were named All-Americans by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association for their outstanding play in 2011. Bell, Arredondo, Yarbrough and Gomez were named to the 2011 Louisville Slugger/NFCA NJCAA Division I All-America second team, while Vaughn was named to the third team.
For Bell, it was her second consecutive year to be awarded second team honors. This season, Bell, a sophomore from Baytown, also earned NFCA All-Region first team, Region XIV All-Region second team and Region XIV South Zone first team honors. Bell finished the 2011 season with 15 wins, a 1.78 ERA, 77 strikeouts, 13 complete games and five shutouts. In her two season with the Bucs, Bell comprised a remarkable 42-4 record and .913 winning percentage.
Arredondo, a sophomore from Canyon Lake, led the Buccaneers in hitting with a .441 batting average and a .506 on-base percentage. She also led the team with 72 runs scored and started and played in all 63 games this season. Arredondo was recently named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American first team, the Louisville Slugger/NFCA NJCAA Midwest Region first team and both the Region XIV All-Region and All-Conference first teams.
Yarbrough, a sophomore from Boerne, started and played in all 63 games this season, finishing with a .340 average and leading the team with 13 home runs. Yarbrough was recently named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American first team, the Louisville Slugger/NFCA NJCAA Midwest Region first team and both the Region XIV All-Region and All-Conference first teams. She also garnered All-Tournament honors at the NJCAA Division I Softball National Championship in May.
Gomez, a sophomore from Sealy, batted .421 with nine home runs and a team high 72 RBI’s as the designated player this season. Gomez was recently named to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA NJCAA Midwest Region first team and both the Region XIV All-Region and All-Conference first teams. At the NJCAA Division I Softball National Championship in May, she was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player and also garnered All-Tournament honors.
Vaughn, a sophomore from Huntsville, finished the season with a .376 batting average and 15 doubles. She also led the team in steals, converting on all 25 attempts. A Louisville Slugger/NFCA NJCAA Midwest Region first team and Region XIV All-Region and All-Conference selection, Vaughn also received the 2011 Dr. James H. Atkinson Cup, as the sophomore student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average at Blinn College. Vaughn finished her two-year career at Blinn with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
The Buccaneers finished the season with a 55-8 overall record, the Region XIV title and a 4th place finish in the NJCAA Division I Softball National Tournament.
