Lutz, Clavel pace Comets’ all-PCAC picks
SAN MARCOS (4/29/2024) – Palomar College dominated the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference All-Conference softball team announced for the 2024 season, with 10 players being named to the first team.
Freshman first baseman Breanna Lutz was named Player of the Year, and sophomore Guilianna "Gigi" Clavel was named Pitcher of the Year.
Eight additional Palomar players were selected to the All-PCAC first team, including sophomore right fielder Faith Steffany, sophomore third baseman Itzell De Los Rios, sophomore shortstop Tess Altevers-Harris, sophomore center fielder Maddie Scott, freshman catcher Kayla Visser, freshman second baseman Josephine Heuberger, freshman designated player Isabella De Filippis and freshman pitcher Nevaeh Haywood.
Lutz, in her first season with Palomar after graduating from Ramona High School, led the Comets in batting for the regular season with a .496 average for 39 games, the third-highest batting average in the state. Her team-leading 60 hits are one more than Heuberger's 59 hits, and Lutz also had a conference-leading five home runs. In addition, Lutz drove in 49 runs during the regular season, which is the fourth-highest total in the state, and her 21 doubles during the regular season tied for the state lead.
Clavel, in her second season at Palomar after graduating from Bonita Vista High School, started 28 regular-season games in the circle for the Comets and fashioned a 23-4 record with an earned run average of 1.48. Clavel's 23 wins tied for the fourth-most in the state, and she also pitched nine complete-game shutouts, her most recent being a 4-0 victory over defending state champion Cypress on April 6.
In addition, Lutz and Clavel also received weekly honors from the California Community College Athletic Association. Lutz was named the 3C2A Player of the Week for Feb. 20, and Clavel was named 3C2A Pitcher of the Week for March 26.
Clavel, Steffany and De Los Rios are repeat first-team selections to the All-PCAC softball team after earning the same honor for the 2023 season.
The Comets finished the regular season with a 35-4 record and their 10th consecutive PCAC championship. Palomar is seeded No. 3 for the upcoming 3C2A Southern California Regionals and will host No. 14 seed Compton (21-16) in a best-of-3 first-round series beginning May 3.