Burroughs' Haley Schulman takes Pacific League softball's top honor

Coach Doug Nicol and the Burroughs High softball team were not happy with having to share the Pacific League championship with Crescenta Valley in 2011.

The goal this past season was to win the title outright and not leave any question as to who was the better squad in league.

To accomplish that feat, Nicol put his faith into senior pitcher Haley Schulman, who had to share duties in the circle in 2011. As the team's ace, Schulman received the lion's share of starts for the Indians.

The senior didn't disappoint, defeating Burbank twice and Crescenta Valley once, as Burroughs claimed the league crown for its own. In addition to her pitching exploits, Schulman also had solid numbers at the plate.

For her accomplishments, Schulman was voted the Pacific League Player of the Year.

"To me, it was clear cut that Haley was the MVP of the league," said Nicol, who earned league coach-of-the-year honors. "[Crescenta Valley's] Hannah Cookson is a good hitter, don't get me wrong. But Haley is the only person in the league, beside Caitlyn Brooks from Burbank, who can say she does it on offense and defense. She hit, she pitched, she really did it all for us. She is a big reason why we won the league by two games."

Schulman stepped up in the circle for the Indians (24-4, 13-1 in league), notching a 17-4 record and a 2.15 earned-run average in 136 2/3 innings. In addition, she struck out 137 batters.

The senior also impressed with her bat. Schulman batted .354 and had 28 hits and drove in 17 runs.

"The amazing stat about Haley is against Burbank's first four big hitters, they only went three for 23 against her," Nicol said. "Her stats were incredible both offensively and defensively. To me, her vote was a no-brainer, and when the other coaches talked about it they could see that she was the best choice."

After Schulman's honor, a cavalcade of local players nabbed first-team accolades. Shannon Trujillo and Michelle Santiago were voted to the team for Burroughs, while rival Burbank's Katie Hooper and Brooks were also first-teamers. Crescenta Valley's Cookson and Allison Lacey also earned first-team nods along with Kaitlyn Williams of Hoover and Janette Avina of Glendale.

Trujillo batted .429 with 33 hits, 27 runs batted in, 10 doubles, five home runs, 28 runs scored and a .805 slugging percentage. Santiago made an instant impact, as she also hit .429 with 18 hits, seven RBI and six doubles.