DENVER – NM State's top performers are among the best in the WAC this season, according to the league's 11 head coaches. Following a voting process, Ramsay Lopez, Kayla Bowen and Jillian Taylor each received all-conference recognition in an announcement made by the league on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Lopez earned First Team All-WAC honors while Bowen and Taylor have each been named Second Team All-WAC. Additionally, Taylor was recognized for her ability in the field as she landed on the WAC All-Defensive Team.
 
Ramsay Lopez, a native of Albuquerque, N.M., found herself among the list of 13 first-team honorees thanks in part to her ability to hit the long ball. She smashed 15 home runs on the season to lead the WAC in that category and become the 12^th Aggie in program history to do so. This is also the second time in three years Lopez has tallied more home runs than any other WAC hitter as she led the conference with eight bombs in a shortened season in 2020. Lopez's 2022 home run totals were good to rank her in the top 50 in Division I in both home runs (40^th, 15) and home runs per game (38^th, 0.32).
 
On the season, the third baseman slashed .326/.458/.705 which ranked her 23^rd in the WAC in batting average, eighth in on-base percentage and third in slugging percentage. Lopez also proved to have some of the keenest eyes for the strike zone this season – drawing a team-best 29 walks. In total, Lopez also recorded five doubles and a team-best 39 RBIs during the regular season.
 
As one of just two seniors on the 2022 Aggie squad, Kayla Bowen claimed her second consecutive All-WAC selection after earning second team honors in 2021. Bowen was a staple in the lineup this season as she was the only Aggie to start all 48 games – making every start at first base for Kathy Rodolph's unit. Bowen's .362 average at the plate was good for 10^th in the conference while her on-base percentage (.410) and slugging percentage (.644) ranked 17^th and sixth in the conference, respectively. As a key cog in the Aggie dugout, Bowen's team-leading 54 hits helped lead NM State to 23^rd in the nation in batting average as they finished the season hitting an incredible .311 as a group. She also managed to hit a team-best 13 doubles and drove in 38 runs on the season to finish just one RBI shy of the team lead. In addition, Bowen led the Aggies in RBIs and hits in league play, bringing across 19 runs and raking 31 hits against WAC opponents.


 
The third Aggie of note, Jillian Taylor, has been a star for the Aggies this season both at the plate and in the field. The sophomore from Spokane, Wash., played solely right field for the Aggies through the first 15 contests before an injury in the Aggies' lineup required her to step up. Not only did Taylor find a home in center field, but she excelled – becoming one of the top defenders in the conference. Defensively, Taylor's .981 fielding percentage in WAC play was tied for the best on the team. She's also played some her best softball as of late, managing errorless softball in the final 23 games of the season.


 
Taylor was equally exceptional with a bat in her hands, hitting an eye-popping .396 on the season to lead the Aggies in batting average among hitters with at-least 75 at-bats and rank fourth in the conference. Her season also included a historic hit streak of 19 games in which she posted 26 hits and 12 RBIs. As a whole, Taylor recorded 43 hits and 22 RBIs for the Aggies this season. Taylor was also the lone Aggie to reach double-digit stolen bases as she claimed the base on 10 out of 11 attempts.


 
Lopez, Bowen and Taylor will now lead the Aggies into the 2022 WAC Tournament as they open the week with a midday matchup against the host institution in Sam Houston. The Aggies and Bearkats are set to get underway at the Bearkat Softball Complex at Noon MT on Wednesday, May 11.