Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Pino named 2nd-team all-state in softball

Second year of honors for slugger

News-Bulletin reports

Recent Los Lunas High School graduate Gabby Pino was recently named to the New Mexico High School Coaches Association's All-Class 5A second team for softball for her performance in the 2007-08 season.

Pino hit .405, drove in 22 runs as a leadoff hitter and scored a team-high 26 runs in her recently-completed senior season, helping lead the Lady Tigers to a 17-11 record, a playoff win and their third straight District 5-5A championship. She and Desirae Ceniceros of Las Cruces were both named to the 5A all-state second team as third basemen.

Latainna Eltsosie of Cibola was named the lone first-team third baseman and the second-team shortstop.

Pino, who was known by the last name Vallejos most of her career, played a solid third base the past couple of seasons, charging bunts and vacuuming up ground balls and using her strong arm to nail would-be baserunners at first.

Pino was named first-team All-Class 5A in 2006-07 after hitting .363, scoring 24 runs and driving in 13 runs for her 17-9 team that lost in the first round of the state tournament.

Porterville (Calif). and Luna Community College in Las Vegas, N.M. were the two college programs mentioned recently by Pino as her top two choices for where to continue her career.

She said Tuesday she's leaning toward Luna, where her former LLHS teammates Devonne Martinez and Adri Gabaldon and Belen's Jasmine Gabaldon have already signed.

E-mail this story Printer-friendly version