SAN MARCOS, Calif. – After winning its second CCAA Regular-Season title in program history, the No. 4 Cal State San Marcos softball team dominated the major CCAA awards in addition to a program-best 10 Cougars earning All-CCAA honors, the conference office announced on Monday.
 
Jillian Albayati was named the CCAA Player of the Year, Zoe Karam was selected Newcomer of the Year, Deleah Cardenas  was named CCAA Freshman of the Year and A.J. Robinson collected his first CCAA Coach of the Year award.
 
Joining Albayati, Karam and Cardenas on the All-CCAA first team was Jordan Elias, Jordan Hill and Madilyn Novello  while Angelina Rodriquez, Marissa Morales and Hailey Shiftlett were honorable mentions.

As one of the best players in all of college softball, Albayati was crowned the 2026 CCAA Player of the Year, a first in program history. She is the NCAA Division II batting average leader (.562) while ranking second in on-base percentage (.635) and slugging percentage (.987), third in doubles (23) and hits (86) and fifth in RBIs (71). The senior from Anaheim broke the program's single-season record for hits (86) and RBIs (71), and she is currently tied for doubles (23) with CSUSM leader Alex Miller (2013). Albayati is on a 35-game streak of reaching base safely, second-best in program history, and is the CSUSM single-season leader with 28 multi-hit and 21 multi-RBI games. Albayati picked up a conference-high three CCAA Player of the Week honors.
 
Karam made her presence known quickly in her first season in the CCAA, becoming CSUSM's second CCAA Newcomer of the Year in program history. The junior from Murrieta led the CCAA with 15 home runs and was second behind Albayati with 67 RBIs and a .725 slugging percentage. Karam tallied 12 multi-hit and 18 multi-RBI games this season.  
 
Cardenas has been outstanding in her first collegiate season, also becoming CSUSM's second CCAA Freshman of the Year in program history. She finished the regular season with a 17-1 record in 101.1 innings, tossing three complete games, two complete shutouts and two combined shutouts. The La Habra native was second in the league in ERA (1.66) and wins (17) and fourth in opposing batting average (.228).
 
In his second season at the helm for CSUSM, Robinson becomes the program's second CCAA Coach of the Year. The Cougars were crowned the 2026 CCAA Regular-Season Champions after finishing with a 28-4 conference record that included a program-best six CCAA series sweeps. CSUSM will enter postseason with a 47-6 overall record and are ranked No. 1 in the latest NCAA West Regional rankings.
 
Hill, a two-time CCAA Pitcher of the Week and CSUSM's first-ever NFCA Division II National Pitcher of the Week selection, picked up first team honors in her single season at CSUSM. The graduate student from San Dimas held opponents to the second-lowest batting average (.204) in the conference this season while ranking third in ERA (1.73). Hill became CSUSM's first pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the NCAA Division II era on March 6 against Stanislaus State. She also racked up a program-best in D2-era 11 strikeouts against then-No. 8 Cal State East Bay.

Fleischman made her All-CCAA debut this season, earning first-team honors as an outfielder after hitting .348 with 56 hits, 41 Rbis, 34 runs, 13 doubles, a team-best four triples, seven home runs, seven walks, .609 slugging percentage and .985 OPS. The senior from Berkeley ranks third on the team with 16 multi-hit and nine multi-RBI games. Fleischman picked up her first-ever CCAA Player of the Week in the final weekend of the regular season.
 
Also making her first appearance on the All-CCAA list, Elias earned first-team accolades at second base. The Eastvale senior batted .373 with 41 hits, 35 run, nine RBIs, a double, five walks, .405 on-base percentage and .787 OPS. She leads the team nine sacrifice bunts and second with 13 stolen bases, while leading the CCAA with 17 double plays.
Novello was named to the first team after ranking third in the CCAA with a .412 batting average and seventh with a .455 on-base percentage. The first baseman has tallied 43 hits, two doubles, 15 runs, 14 RBIs, seven walks, two stolen bases .431 slugging percentage and .886 OPS.

Morales was named an All-CCAA honorable mention as an outfielder after ranking fourth in the conference with 28 walks and fifth with four sacrifice flies. The junior from Eastvale is hitting .307 with 35 hits, 36 runs, 20 RBIs, seven doubles, two triples, eight stolen bases, .404 slugging percentage, .439 on-base percentage and .843 OPS.
 
Rodriguez was also an honorable mention selection, serving as one of CSUSM's two catchers this season. The freshman from Wildomar is hitting .311 with 32 hits, 14 runs, 21 RBIs, nine doubles, a triple, four home runs, eight walks, team-high seven hit by pitches, .534 slugging percentage, .398 on-base percentage and .932 OPS. Rodriguez has the third-longest streak of reaching base safely with 12 games.

Shiftlett was named an All-CCAA honorable mention after leading the conference with seven saves so far this season, ranking her third in NCAA Division II. The freshman pitcher from Fair Oaks served as CSUSM's primary relief pitcher with 24 appearances but did start in three games. Shiftlett has tallied a 6-1 record, a 1.52 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 50.2 innings.
 
CSUSM (47-6) makes its fifth-consecutive CCAA Tournament appearance and second as the top seed on Thursday at noon on the campus of Cal State East Bay in Hayward.  The Cougars will face the winner of fourth-seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills and fifth-seeded Cal State Monterey Bay who play 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
 
The winner of the tournament receives the CCAA's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament beginning on May 14. The Cougars currently hold the No. 1 seed in the West Region and are essentially guaranteed a spot regardless of the outcome of the CCAA Tournament.