LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Biola Softball had its first 30-win season in three years in 2018, and that would not be possible without a bunch of talented student-athletes. Four of those talented student-athletes (and the coach) were honored by the National Christian College Athletic Association West Region this week. Areana Ramos and former Head Coach Lorie Coleman led the way by earning regional player of the year and coach of the year.

The NCCAA West Region includes Biola, St. Katherine and Ottawa (Ariz.). The Eagles managed 10 more wins than the two other teams' combined total and were recognized for this with almost half of the total all-region honors. Ramos, Selina Sherlin, Paige Austin and Terri Van Dagens were all selected for their first NCCAA Regional honors and are now eligible for NCCAA All-American recognition. 

Ramos put up a career year for the Eagles in 2018, starting every single game in center field for BU and providing the most pop of any hitter in the Biola order. She ended the year with a .353 batting average and a career-high in hits (61), runs (38), doubles (10), homeruns (9), RBI (35) and even stolen bases (3). She was also named PacWest Conference Newcomer of the Year and made the All-PacWest third team.

Sherlin capped her career off with another solid offensive and defensive season. She also appeared in all 52 games, hitting the 50-game mark for the third time in her four-year career at BU. Sherlin hit .319 with 24 runs scored (fourth-consecutive year with at least 23) and drove in 28 (also a fourth year in a row with more than 23). Her 11 doubles tied her for the team-high and she ended the year with an average of more than one hit-per-game (53). Included in all that hitting was a team-best 14-game hitting streak at the start of PacWest Conference play.

Pitching led the way for this Biola team for much of the season, which is why the Eagles are the only squad with pitchers on the all-region team. Both Terri Van Dagens and Paige Austin had phenomenal seasons, combining for 27 wins, six saves and a combined ERA of right around 1.80. Both ladies held opposing batters to a batting average under .208 and Austin was rewarded for her season with All-PacWest third team honors. Van Dagens' year was the perfect way to finish her four years with the team, setting new career-bests in almost every category. Especially impressive was that she pitched nearly 100 more innings than one year ago and dropped her ERA by just about three full points, ending the year leading the team with a 1.74 mark in a career-high 30 appearances. 

Biola ended its season with a 33-19 overall record and ranked eighth in the NCCAA National Rankings. The team was the best in the West Region but did not have the chance to make a push for the NCCAA World series due to narrowly missing out on the top-5 in the PacWest Conference, which is the institutional standard to play in NCCAA postseason.

The Eagles have one year left in the NCAA Division II transition and thus one more season for NCCAA awards and postseason opportunities. The team will play that 2019 season under new leadership with the department currently looking for a new Head Coach. Those interested can view the application at this job application link.