LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced the 2016 NFCA Division I All-Region Teams on Thursday morning and Cal State Fullerton had four student-athletes garner the honors marking the first time since 2002 four or more Titans were named to the All-West Region squad.
The awards honor softball student-athletes from the Association's 10 regions with first, second and third team selections. NFCA member coaches from each respective region voted on the team, and all the honorees now become eligible for selection to the 2016 NFCA Division I All-American squads.
Ybarra captures her second All-West Region nod as she was named to the Second Team in 2013. The Riverside, Calif., native earns First Team honors for the first time her career after concluding the regular season with a 15-6 record in the circle with a 1.80 ERA over 35 games, 24 of which were in a starting role.
The senior southpaw has logged 151.1 innings of work and struck out 133 batters while walking just 55. She has allowed 49 runs, 39 of which were earned, and tallied 13 complete games while leading the Titans to their first appearance in the NCAA Regionals since 2009.
Her leadership in the circle helped the Titans capture their first Big West Conference title since 2006 as Ybarra was named Big West Pitcher of the Year.
In her rookie season, Golden was named to the All-West Region Second Team after a solid year in the circle saw her earn Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year accolades after posting a 17-5 record to rank fourth in the league in wins.
Her 1.79 ERA led the team, ranked second in the Big West and was good for 38th in the nation. In 125.1 innings pitched, Golden fanned 71 batters and walked just 21, while collecting a pair of shutouts and nine complete games.
Joining Golden on the All-West Region Second Team was Gonzalez, a junior out of Covina, Calif., who saw action at both designated player and catcher.
In 53 games played thus far, Gonzalez posted a .343 batting average after going 48-for-140 to rank third on the team. She leads the Titans with 44 RBIs, while adding 16 runs. Gonzalez is tied for the team lead with nine home runs and has also roped eight doubles.
Rounding out the Titan honorees is Taukeiaho who garnered her third consecutive nod to the All-West Region team as she was selected to the Third Team. In 2014 and 2015, she was named to the First Team.
Taukeiaho, who was just named Big West Conference Player of the Year, found her way on the All-West Region team after registering a .358 batting average to go along with a .673 slugging percentage and a .488 on-base percentage. The senior out of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., has tallied 49 runs, 37 RBIs, 22 doubles, nine home runs and 38 walks on the year, while collecting 12 multi-hit and multi-RBI games.
The quartet of Titans has helped the squad post a 43-14 overall record as they head into the NCAA Los Angeles Regional. Their 43 wins marks the most for a Titans' team since 2002 when Cal State Fullerton racked up 53 victories.
The 2016 NFCA Division I All-America teams will be announced on Wednesday, June 1 via NFCA.org.