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University of South Dakota Athletics

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Softball

2023 Softball Roster

Eric Espada
Sam Wasson
Karen Fletcher

7 Aleesia Sainz

  • Height 5-5
  • Class Senior
  • Highschool Casa Grande Union HS
  • Hometown Casa Grande, Ariz.

Biography

2023
First player in program history to earn Summit League Player of the Year honors and the third Coyote since 2009 to be named league MVP … first-team all-Summit League third baseman … led the Summit with a .420 average and a 1.236 OPS during conference play … reached base in 18 of 20 conference games, hit two home runs and was second in the league with 21 RBIs … defensively, had more assists than any player in the league and was a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year … one of three Coyotes who started all 52 games, she at third base … hit .293 overall with seven doubles, two triples and a team-leading six home runs … led the Coyotes with a .924 OPS, 35 RBIs and 26 runs scored … was walked 29 times, third-most in the Summit … reached base in 23 consecutive games from mid-March to the first week of May … it’s the program’s longest such streak since 2016 … had a career-high seven RBIs that included a bases-clearing triple and a bases-clearing double in a 10-2 win against Western Illinois (4/16) … had a bases-clearing double that tied the game during a nine-run inning and helped complete the program’s largest comeback win in 18 years in her final game at Nygaard Field (4/30) … was named Summit League Peak Performer of the Week for helping USD sweep three games in Kansas City (4/1-2) … went 5-for-9 during the series with a double, triple and eight RBIs … drove in at least two runs in all three games … was a CSC academic all-district honoree … finished career with 114 career hits including 19 home runs, ninth-most in program history ... named an NFCA Scholar Athlete ... also made the Summit League Academic Honor Roll ... placed on the Summit League's Commissioner's List for academic excellence

2022
First team all-Summit League … nominee for Summit Player of the Year … one of three Coyotes who started all 53 games, she at third base … led the team in nearly every offensive category and was the Summit’s leader in OPS (1.166) … hit .343 with 11 home runs, 43 RBIs and 37 runs scored … also had 12 doubles and a triple … was walked 34 times, the 14th-most to a player during a season in Summit League history and third-most in program history … homered in consecutive at bats during a game twice this season, first at Furman (2/18) and again at Drake (3/29) … had three home runs and a double in leading USD to a 4-1 record during the second tournament of the season in South Carolina … homered twice on day one in Memphis during the fourth tournament and would go on to be named the Summit League Player of the Week … broke a tie with a grand slam in a win at FIU (2/25) … plated the winning run in a 4-3 win over UTSA at the start of the season (2/13) … led the team with 13 games with multiple RBIs and also had 13 multi-hit performances … reached base in 15 consecutive games during the heart of the conference season, which equaled the longest such streak on the team … had a home run and five RBIs to cap a series against St. Thomas in which she was 6-for-11 with eight runs driven in … led the Summit and ranked 94th nationally in slugging … hit .364 with a team-high 18 RBIs during Summit play … had a .941 fielding percentage at third base … was 6-for-6 on the base paths ... named an NFCA Scholar Athlete

2021
Played and started in 37 of 51 games … made 31 starts at third base and three each at shortstop and first base … hit .200 (12-for-60) with two doubles a triple, seven RBIs and nine runs scored … drew 11 walks – third-most on the team – and had a .338 on-base percentage … had a .966 fielding percentage … named to the Summit League Honor Roll

2020
Competed in 28 of 29 games and earned 19 starts including 18 at second base and one at third … hit .226 with nine RBIs and six runs scored … first collegiate hit was a home run to left field against Murray State on the second day of the season (2/8) … finished 2-for-5 against the Racers including a go-ahead, RBI single in the eighth inning … added a two-run triple in the second game of the day against DePaul (2/8) … second home run was perhaps more dramatic … led off the bottom of the seventh inning against Northern Colorado with a game-tying bomb to left center that tied the game at 4-4 (2/29) … the Coyotes went on to win in eight innings, 5-4 … first three-hit game came against in a win against Georgia State (2/14) … finished third on the team in slugging percentage (.403) … team’s season was cut short due to COVID-19 … made the Summit League honor roll.

Prep
Four-year starter who entered her senior year with a .502 average at Casa Grande Union with 16 home runs and 108 RBIs ... had a 1.415 OPS with 18 extra-base hits as a senior ... played mainly the left side of the infield in leading the Cougars to the playoffs for four consecutive seasons ... earned all-section honors as a freshman, all-region honors as a sophomore, all-conference as a junior and all-county as a senior ... was team MVP during the 2016 and 2018 seasons ... played club ball for Arizona Bombers Gold

Personal
Parents are Erik and Angela ... psychology major

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.

Historical Player Information

  • 7

    2020Freshman

    IF
    5'5"
    7
  • 7

    2021Sophomore

    IF
    5'5"
    7
  • 7

    2022Junior

    IF
    5'5"
    7
  • 7

    2023Senior

    IF
    5'5"
    7