Cougars Receive 10 All-WSC Selections

Graphic showing College of the Canyons softball players named to the WSC South All-Conference Honors list. First Team: Jeniece Jimenez, Jocelyn Jimenez, Krista Viereck, Belinda Lujano. Second Team: Akane Gonzalez, Amber Phillips, Jasmine Soriano, Jordan Shepherd. Honorable Mention: Yahali Gonzalez, Giselle Merida. Blue background with player headshots and school logo.
April 28, 2026

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director 

College of the Canyons had 10 players from its 2026 squad earn All-Western State Conference (WSC), South Division awards, including four First-Team selections for the Cougars.

Sophomores Jeniece Jimenez, Krista Viereck and Belinda Lujano were joined by freshman Jocelyn Jimenez in receiving All-WSC First-Team honors.

Jeniece Jimenez earned her second First-Team selection after a sophomore campaign in which she led the team and ranked second in the conference with a .488 batting average. The utility player also led the Cougars in on-base percentage (.561), slugging percentage (.778), hits (61), doubles (13), triples (eight), RBIs (38), runs (50), total bases (93) and tied for the team lead with 20 steals.

Viereck ended the regular season batting .346 while getting on base at a .405 clip. Of her 37 hits seven went for extra bases. The outfielder also logged 20 RBIs and scored 25 runs across 40 games.

Lujano hit .390 with nine extra-base hits and led the team with 26 walks. Splitting time between outfield and shortstop she scored 39 runs and swiped 15 bags along the way. Her .497 on-base percentage ranked third on the team.

Jocelyn Jimenez enjoyed a successful freshman season with a .429 batting average to rank third on the team while her .513 on-base mark was second. The outfielder tallied 54 hits to also rank second on the squad with 23 walks and was one of five Cougars to connect for a home run. She plated 39 runs and tied for the team lead at 20 stolen bases.

Second-Team selections for the Cougars included sophomore pitcher Akane Gonzalez and freshmen Jasmine Soriano, Amber Phillips and Jordan Shepherd.

Gonzalez finished the regular season with a 2.89 ERA across her 116 and 1/3 innings pitched. She posted a 12-7 record with 17 starts in 22 appearances with 48 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.40. Included in those totals were four shutouts.

Soriano batted .310 in her first collegiate season while playing third base for the Cougars. She drew 19 walks with 35 hits including 12 of the extra-base variety with 28 RBIs, scoring 22 runs and swiping seven bases in the process.

Amber Phillips handled catching responsibilities for the Cougars while hitting .315 with 15 walks to end the regular season with a .415 on-base percentage. She scored 14 runs and drove in 13 more. 

Shepherd hit .290 for the year with 27 hits, including 11 doubles, and 27 RBIs across her 32 games. She also scored 19 runs with five stolen bases.

Sophomore Yahali Gonzalez and freshman Giselle Merida were both Honor Mention selections for the Cougars.

Gonzalez batted .317 with 33 hits and scored 24 runs while totaling eight stolen bases. Merida logged 30 hits with 30 RBIs which ranked second on the team.

Canyons (22-18) concluded the regular season second in the WSC, South standings behind conference champions Antelope Valley College (29-11). The Cougars dropped their final three games down the stretch with two of those losses coming in a home doubleheader vs. Palomar on April 18.

The Cougars will host Moorpark College (17-15) in a postseason play-in game at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, from Whitten Field. 

The winner of that contest will move into the regional bracket as the No. 16 seed and earn a trip to take on No. 1 seed Palomar College (37-1) for a three-game set as part of the postseason's opening round.

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.