WSC Names January Athletes of the Month
Spring sports have officially kicked off with basketball in full conference-play swing, and with that, the Western State Conference named its January Athletes of the Month on Wednesday.
Baseball - Rookie Landon McDonald started all five games for Bakersfield in right field in January, leading the Renegades to a 4-1 start. Batting third, McDonald tallied 10 hits on 17 at bats (.588) and drawing six walks, including four in one game against Moorpark. He belted three doubles, one triple, and two homers, while counting six RBI - good for a 1.235 slugging percentage. He added a pair of stolen bases and recorded eight putouts. Overall, he earned three multi-hit games and went a perfect 4-for-4 in the 8-6 win at Sequoias.
Men's Basketball - Sophomore Noah Morris was a force at the rim for Allan Hancock in January, averaging 12.3 rebounds per game, including 6.2 offensive boards per contest. But his offense was also solid, recording double-doubles in all but one of the team's eight contests, and leading the Bulldogs to a 6-3 mark on the month. He averaged 14 points per game on 62.1 percent shooting, adding 1.2 steals per game and just under one block per game. Against Oxnard, he netted at season-high 24 points, while tying his season-high 17 boards - hitting that mark again against Ventura.
Women's Basketball - Sophomore center Maleyni Tolliver helped extend Moorpark's wining streak to nine over the seven-game stretch to start the new year. Shooting 54.5 percent from the field and adding 6.5 rebounds per game, Tolliver scored a best 27 points at Santa Barbara. She averaged 1.3 assists per game, 1.0 steals per game, and added three total blocks.
Beach Volleyball - The duo of top pair freshman Natsune Makino and sophomore Alesia Thomas helped lead Moorpark to a quick 2-0 start on the sand. The Raiders defeated Long Beach 3-2 and swept Mt. San Jacinto to start the year with Makino and Thomas easily defeating the Eagles 21-8, 21-15.
Softball - Sophomore Azusena Lopez boosted Glendale's offense to a quick 5-0 start, earning her 3CFCA Player of the Week Honors to kick of the season. Lopez went 12-for 17 (.705) with a double, two triples, and three home runs. She batted in 10 runs and was errorless in the field. Tallying four multi-hit games, she was a perfect 2-for-2 with both hits coming as a triple and a home run. Overall, she scored 12 runs for the Vaqueros.
Men's Tennis - In his first competition at Ventura, freshman Victor Peyrebonne helped the Pirates sweep Fullerton in the season opener. Playing as the number three singles and doubles with Yusen Sato, Peyrebonne was the only Pirate to blank both of his opponents on the day, winning the first doubles and singles matches of the day.
Women's Tennis - Sophomore Jaelyn Rivera helped lead the Eagles to a 2-0 start to the 2026 season, recording wins over Mt. SAC and Riverside in January. In singles, she only dropped four sets, while sweeping Mt. SAC and earning the 8-6 win in doubles over Riverside.
