Five Newcomers Join Bakersfield Softball for 2022-23

Bakersfield, Calif. – Five softball student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent or Financial Aid Agreements and matriculated to attend California State University, Bakersfield. Infielder Ciara Jensen, outfielders Carla Duarte and Jayleen Reeves, pitcher Brianna Sanchez and two-way threat Violet Salazar will all join the Roadrunners ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, the program's second full season as members of the Big West Conference.

Carla Duarte | Outfield | Junior | Kingsburg, Calif. | Holy Names

Duarte spent the 2022 season at NCAA Division II Holy Names University, in Oakland, Calif., appearing in 34 games and starting 15. She hit .250 from the left-side, finishing 12-for-48 with one double and just two strikeouts.

Duarte was a CIF All-Star, a three-time All-League selection and a two-time Offensive Player of the Year at Kingsburg High School, where she led the Vikings to a CIF Division II Valley Championship. She was also a four-time Academic All-League choice and superintendent honor roll honoree.

Duarte hit .362 as a four-year varsity starter at Kingsburg, reaching base at a .398-clip and slugging .437. She finished her career with 121 hits, including 16 for extra-bases.

She played club softball for Central California Dirt Dogs for coaches Russ. Heffley and Scott Gorton.

Duarte is the daughter of Ricardo & Connie Duarte, and has two siblings, Alyssa and Rickey.

Ciara Jensen | Infield | Junior | Canyon Lake, Calif. | North Dakota State

Jensen joins the Roadrunner program after two seasons in the Summit League with North Dakota State, where she appeared in 42 games, making 33 starts and hitting .267 in 105 career at bats with the Bison.

Jensen was a starter at second base for NDSU during the 2021 campaign, finishing with a .276 batting average, a .364 on-base percentage and a .437 slugging percentage to go along with four doubles, two triples and a pair of home runs. She scored 14 times and drove in nine more runs, while walking 12 times and fanning on just 18 occasions.

Jensen was 4-for-5 with a double, a run and an RBI in the 2021 Summit League Tournament, earning All-Tournament honors for the Bison.

Jensen was a three-time All-CIF selection as an infielder for Temescal Canyon High School and head coach Ryan Hambright. She hit .521 over her four-year career with 23 doubles, seven triples and six home runs, scoring 63 times and driving in 66 more runs. Jensen was named league MVP as a sophomore.

She is the daughter of Jim and Rachel Jensen and has four sisters, Angelica, Brianna, Danika and Elanna. Both Angelica and Brianna played college softball at the Division II level. Her father played baseball at Fresno City College.

Jensen played club softball for her father as a member of the Strike Force, finishing her 18U career with a .577 average.

Jayleen Reeves | Outfield | Freshman | Fontana, Calif. | Summit High School

The lone true freshman of the group, Jayleen Reeves is a former standout of Summit High School in Fontana, California, where she played for head coach Brian Lyons. Reeves hit .400 with a .413 on-base percentage and a .590 slugging percentage for the Skyhawks.

After hitting .417 as a junior, Reeves hit .391 in her senior season belting 10 doubles, two triples and a pair of home runs. She was also named as the program's best defensive player following the 2022 campaign.

Jayleen is the daughter of Dion and Margie Reeves and has four siblings, Dion Jr., Tionna, Alesha and Genessa.

Reeves played travel softball for Easton Preps Ventura.

Violet Salazar | Utility | Sophomore | Chino, Calif. | Chaffey College

Salazar was a two-way standout at Chaffey College for the past two seasons, slashing .428/.491/.670/1.161 with 23 doubles, three triples and six home runs in 194 career at bats. In the circle, she worked 168.0 career innings with a 2.63 earned run average and 143 strikeouts against just 64 bases on balls.

Salazar was 20-for-59 during the COVID shortened 2020 campaign, doubling four times and tripling once, while scoring nine runs and driving in eight. She finished the season with a .339 average and a .426 on-base percentage, walking six times and striking out just once. She also pitched in 10 games, totaling 52.1 innings pitched and striking out 36.

After sitting out the 2021 season, Salazar returned in 2022, starting 40 of 41 games and hitting .467, with 19 doubles, two triples and six bombs. She walked 13 times and struck out just once, reaching base at a .520-clip, while slugging .770 and leading the team with 44 runs scored and 34 RBI.

Salazar was equally as impactful in the circle, throwing 115.2 innings and striking out 107, while allowing just 96 hits and posting a 1.76 earned run average. She finished the season with a 16-4 record in the circle.

Salzar was a four-year varsity starter, a four-time All-League selection and a two-time conference MVP at Chino Hills High School, where she hit .320 for her career and reached base at a .444 clip, while posting a 1.96 earned run average in the circle.

She is the daughter of Katrina Roldan and has two siblings, Vivian Roldan and Cameron Rodriguez.

Salazar played club softball for the Corona Angels Tyson.

Brianna Sanchez | Pitcher | Senior | West Covina, Calif. | New Mexico

Sanchez spent the last three seasons in the circle at the University of New Mexico, pitching 50.1 career innings for the Lobos and posting a 7.93 earned run average while appearing in 36 games and making six starts. She collected one win and a save in her time at UNM.

Sanchez' best season came during her freshman campaign in 2020, when she posted a 4.50 ERA in 32.2 innings pitched, making 16 appearances and starting five times posting a 1-4 overall record, while picking up a save and working a complete game.

She tossed 7.0 innings to beat Stanford that season, allowing four hits and three walks, while striking out one to earn her first career win in complete game fashion. Sanchez also faced Missouri, California, Texas during her first year on campus.

Sanchez graduated from Bishop Amat Memorial High School in 2029, playing two seasons for the Lancers and pitching to a 3.28 ERA. At the plate she boasted a career batting average of .444.

Sanchez is the daughter of Will and Margarita Sanchez and has one sibling, a sister, Sophia.

She played club ball in the So Cal Athletics organization.

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Five Newcomers Join Bakersfield Softball for 2022-23