Arizona Western softball stars earn national All-American honors

Arizona Western College landed two players on the NJCAA Division I All-America teams, with pitcher Jessica Smith named to the Second Team and infielder Analy Trejo to the Third Team. The selections, announced by the NJCAA Division I Softball Committee in June, gave the Matadors another sign that the program in Yuma is producing national-caliber talent.

The recognition carries real weight for a junior college program that sells itself as a bridge to the next level. Smith is expected to join the University of South Carolina Upstate in Spartanburg, South Carolina, for her junior season, turning her Arizona Western run into a direct pipeline to NCAA Division I. For future recruits, the honor helps show that strong seasons in Yuma can lead to national awards, postseason exposure and a step up in competition.

Smith’s numbers made the case. Arizona Western said she won 20 games, struck out 164 batters and finished with a 1.35 ERA during the regular season. She also worked as the Matadors’ postseason anchor, pitching 25 innings at the 2026 NJCAA Division I Softball World Series and allowing 10 earned runs. In the region playoffs, she won two games and earned a save as Arizona Western went 3-0. Her season also brought individual hardware beyond the All-America team, including Region I / Western District MVP and ACCAC Pitcher of the Year honors. Smith was also named to the NFCA NJCAA Division I All-American team for the second year in a row after earning first-team recognition in 2025 at Crowder College.

Trejo’s honor showed how much Arizona Western leaned on production in the middle of the lineup as well as in the circle. The sophomore, who primarily played first base, led the Matadors in nearly every major offensive category, including runs, hits and home runs, and she was named to the NFCA All-West Region First Team along with Smith. At the World Series, Trejo hit .363 and drove in four runs, a line that matched the pressure of postseason play.

Arizona Western’s awards followed a postseason stretch that changed the program’s recent history. The Matadors beat San Jacinto College-South 10-1 in five innings on May 26, 2026, for their first World Series win since May 14, 2014 and their first World Series runs since May 19, 2018. They beat Volunteer State Community College 4-2 the next day, giving coach Joel Prickett his 800th career victory and marking the program’s first two World Series wins in the same tournament since before 2000. Arizona Western ended the run with a 7-4 loss to defending national champion Northwest Florida State College on May 29, but the All-American honors confirmed that this season pushed the Matadors back into the national conversation.