Sashel Palacios

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

In this
Spanish name, the first or paternal surname
is Palacios and the second or maternal family name is Barajas.
Sashel Palacios
Personal information
Full nameSashel Aitiana Palacios Barajas
Born (1995-09-17) September 17, 1995 (age 28)
Athletes Unlimited
(2020–present)
Medal record
Women's softball
Representing  Mexico
Central American and Caribbean Games
Silver medal – second place 2018 Barranquilla Team competition

Sashel Aitiana Palacios Barajas[2] (born September 9, 1995) is an American softball catcher of Mexican descent. After playing college softball for Arizona State, she embarked on a professional career in 2018. She also helped the Mexico national team qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics, which finished the tournament in fourth place.

Early years

Palacios was born on September 9, 1995, in

Cleveland Indians in the 1992 MLB draft and then by the Detroit Tigers in the 1993 MLB draft.[5][7] However, lacking the financial support to pursue a professional career, he never signed a contract.[5] He did, however, play for the Mexico national baseball team.[8] Her mother, Soida, is a California native with Mexican roots who played softball growing up.[4][8]

Palacios tried many sports in her childhood, including volleyball, basketball and soccer, but ultimately chose to focus on softball under the tutelage of her father.

runs batted in (RBI).[11] As a junior, she earned second team all-section and second-team all-CIF Division II honors.[12] As a senior in 2013, she had a .523 batting average,[3] earning first-team all-section honors as well as a selection to the Cal-Hi Sports all-state third-team.[13][14] She was also named MVP of the annual Hilltop Tournament, recording three hits and four RBI in their championship game victory over Santana High School.[15] In November 2012, she signed an early letter of intent to play at Arizona State University.[11]

Palacios also lettered twice in volleyball in high school and played travel softball with Team Muzino and the San Diego Renegades.[3] She graduated from Otay Ranch with a 4.3 GPA.[3]

Career

College career

Palacios played Division I college softball for the Arizona State Sun Devils from 2014 to 2017. She helped the Sun Devils reach the NCAA tournament all four years, including a trip to the Super Regionals in 2014.[16] She initially served as a backup catcher to Amber Freeman, appearing in only eight games as a freshman.[8] She later claimed to have "[fallen] out of love" with the game around this time, even contemplating quitting the team altogether.[17] However, she did record five hits in eleven at-bats.[3] After spending the summer playing with the Mexico national team, she returned for her second year.

As a sophomore in 2015, Palacios finished fifth on the team with a .323 batting average and third on the team with a .459 on-base percentage, along with 20 RBI and three home runs.[18][3] She went the entire regular season without an error, earning Pac-12 All-Defensive and NFCA Third-Team All-West Region honors.[18][3] She hit a home run in their Pac-12 home opener against California on March 20.[19] On May 1, she went three-for-three with three RBI in a 20–0 mercy rule victory over Stanford.[20] The following day, she went four-for-four with an RBI in another mercy rule win over Stanford.[21] She also became known this season for videobombing her teammates, and even head coach Craig Nicholson, in post-game interviews.[22]

As a junior in

Illinois State at the Littlewood Classic.[24] Overall she went four-for-10 with five RBI and a walk as the Sun Devils went undefeated in the tournament.[3][25] After a cold streak of two hits in 12 games, she had two home runs and three RBI in a 12–9 loss to Washington on April 10.[26]

As a senior in

New Mexico State on March 22.[29] She hit another homer in a 8–0 win against Oregon State on March 25.[30] In the second game of the series the next day, Palacios went three-for-four with two home runs and six RBI, including the walk-off grand slam to seal the 11–0 mercy rule win.[31] Finally, she hit a two-run homer in the third game of the Oregon State series on March 27.[32] On May 5 and 6, she recorded two home runs and five RBI in back-to-back wins over California.[33][34] At the conclusion of the season she earned first-team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Defensive honors.[35]

Professional career

On November 21, 2017, Palacios signed her first professional contract, a one-year deal with the

Aussie Spirit.[36] She went 3 for 4 with three RBI and her first career home run in their June 10 victory over the Spirit, earning player of the game honors.[37] Palacios batted .275 with six RBI and one home run on the season.[38] She spent the following year with the Cleveland Comets, who partnered with the Mexico national team, and hit .217 with 13 RBI during the 2019 NPF season.[39]

In 2020 Palacios took part in the inaugural six-week season of

Athletes Unlimited Softball,[9] an experimental player-run league without coaches or owners where team rosters are shuffled weekly via a draft.[40] Instead of team standings, players are ranked on a leaderboard based on their individual performances.[40] She recorded one home run, five RBI and nine walks, tallying 670 points overall.[1][a] Her sole home run came on the last day of the season.[42]

Palacios was announced as a returning player for the 2021 Athletes Unlimited season.[43] She hit a home run for Team Warren in her second game and was voted "MVP 2" by the players and fans (as the second-best player of the game).[44] Shortly thereafter she earned "MVP 3" honors in a week 3 defeat to Team Osterman.[45] In her last game of the season, she broke a scoreless tie with a fifth inning home run to help Team Jaquish defeat Team Eberle 6–2, earning "MVP 2" honors.[46] In total, she recorded seven hits, five RBI and two home runs for a total of 934 individual points on the season.[1]

International career

The summer after Palacios's freshman year at Arizona State, during which she thought about quitting the sport, her father informed her that the Mexican Softball Federation was allowing Mexican-American players to try out for the national team.[17] After some initial hesitation, she began training for the opportunity and eventually earned a spot on the roster.[17] Her first international competition was the 2014 World Cup of Softball in Irvine, California,[47] and she credits the experience for rekindling her love of the game.[4] She also joined the team for the 2015 World Cup of Softball the following summer, driving in a run against Argentina.[48] Palacios played in the 2017 Canada Cup, where she recorded seven hits, four RBI and a home run in seven games.[2] Later that year, she participated in the Pan American Championships, where Mexico finished second and secured a bid to the 2019 Pan American Games.[49] She also won a silver medal with the team at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games,[49] with their only loss coming in the championship game after extra innings.[50] At the 2018 Women's Softball World Championship the following month, Palacios drove in the first run of Mexico's 2–0 victory over the Philippines.[51] Four days later, on the last day of group play, she drove in the first two runs of their 4–3 defeat of Chinese Taipei.[52] Mexico finished the tournament in sixth place.

Palacios was one of 12 American-born players included on the Mexico roster for the 2019 Pan American Games.[53] She hit a grand slam in their opening game, a 9–0 victory over the host team Peru,[54] but they ultimately failed to medal after being eliminated in the semifinals. A few weeks after the disappointing Pan American Games campaign, Palacios helped her team achieve a surprise first-place finish at the 2019 WBSC Americas Olympic Qualifier.[55] They defeated the host nation, Canada, by a 2–1 score in the super round to secure Mexico's first ever Olympic berth in softball,[56] a victory which Palacios called the highlight of her career.[57] She scored the game-tying run in the fifth inning after leading off with a single.[8] In preparation for the Olympics, she joined the team for the 2020 Australia Pacific Cup, where they finished in third place.[8][58] At the Tokyo Olympics, Palacios recorded hits in wins against Italy and Australia.[59] Mexico lost the bronze medal game to Canada.

Personal life

Palacios has two younger siblings: her sister Sharlize, who plays softball at

Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium.[60] In the game, Sashel hit the game-winning solo home run in the seventh inning for the 3–2 victory.[61]

Palacios earned her bachelor's degree in family and human development in the spring of 2017 and was named an All-Pac-12 Academic honorable mention.[3] She earned several dean's list distinctions and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District softball team as a senior.[62] She later returned to Arizona State to pursue her master's degree in higher and postsecondary education.[4] She took the opportunity to serve as a graduate assistant coach during the 2018 season and finished her studies in 2019.[4][63]

Notes

  1. ^ Players are awarded 10 points for singles, 20 for doubles, 30 for triples, 40 for home runs, 10 for stolen bases, 10 for sacrifice fly/bunts, 8 for walks and 8 for hit by pitches. 10 points are deducted for getting caught stealing base. Players also get 50 points for team wins and 10 when they win an inning. Additionally, three MVPs will be voted on after every game by players and fans for 60, 40 and 20 points.[41]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Sashel Palacios". Athletes Unlimited. Archived from the original on August 5, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "#13 Sashel Aitiana Palacios - Profile". Pointstreak. Archived from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Sashel Palacios". Arizona State Athletics. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Rodriguez, Laura (July 20, 2018). "Meet the Mexican-American between the Chicago Bandits and the Mexico Women's National Softball Team". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Mendelsohn, Peter (July 22, 2020). "Sashel Palacios embraces her body and Mexican heritage on the diamond". Athletes Unlimited. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Monahan, Terry (March 4, 2019). "Eastlake softball catcher follows her father in finding home behind plate". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Kiko Palacios". Baseball-Reference. Sports-Reference. Archived from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e Metcalfe, Jeff (February 7, 2020). "Former Sun Devils, Wildcats can co-exist, elevating Mexico softball to Olympic berth". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Levine, Amanda (December 1, 2020). "For Sashel Palacios, Diamond Sports Are In Her Blood". Softball America. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  10. ^ "Bonita Valley Girls Hall of Fame". Bonita Valley Girls Amateur Softball Association. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Denny, Brad (November 16, 2012). "ASU Softball: Sun Devils Sign 4 Players to Early Letters of Intent". House of Sparky. SB Nation. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  12. ^ "HALL OF CHAMPIONS' ALL-CIF SAN DIEGO SECTION TEAM". East County Sports. June 8, 2012. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  13. ^ "2013 All-CIF San Diego Section Team". East County Sports. June 4, 2012. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  14. ^ Maffei, John (July 3, 2013). "State honors from Cal-Hi Sports". San Diego U-T Preps. The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  15. The Star-News. Archived
    from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  16. ^ a b c "Bandits Sign Arizona State Standout Sashel Palacios". National Pro Fastpitch. November 21, 2017. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  17. ^ a b c Salas, Marco (June 15, 2021). "More Than a Game For Sun Devil Softball Olympians". Arizona State Sun Devils Athletics. Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  18. ^ a b "Sun Devils Welcome Fifth-Ranked Oregon for Three-Game Series". Arizona State Sun Devils Athletics. April 22, 2016. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  19. ^ "Four home runs lead Devils past Bears in Pac-12 home opener". National Collegiate Athletic Association. March 21, 2015. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  20. ^ "#24 Arizona State at Stanford Box Score". Arizona State Sun Devils Athletics. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  21. ^ "ASU Softball Puts Up 16, Takes Series Against Stanford". Arizona State Sun Devils Athletics. May 3, 2015. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  22. ^ Janssen, Justin (May 6, 2015). "ASU softball's Sashel Palacios' videobombing has become a work of art". The State Press. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  23. ^ Brunette, Leah (February 7, 2016). "ASU softball: Behind the plate with Sun Devil catching". The State Press. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  24. ^ Brunette, Leah; Valenzuela, Kendall (February 21, 2016). "ASU softball continues to dominate Littlewood Classic". The State Press. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  25. ^ Brunette, Leah (February 21, 2016). "ASU softball sweeps Littlewood Classic with 9-2 over Montana". The State Press. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  26. ^ Brunette, Leah (April 10, 2016). "Palacio's two home runs not enough for ASU softball". The State Press. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  27. ^ Leon, Annaliese (March 12, 2017). "ASU softball's offense comes alive in three-game sweep of Nebraska". The State Press. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  28. ^ "Palacios Earns Pac-12 Player of the Week Honors". Arizona State Sun Devils Athletics. March 28, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  29. ^ "No. 21 Sun Devil Softball Sweeps Midweek Double-Header". Arizona State Sun Devils Athletics. March 22, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  30. ^ "Sun Devil Softball Run Rules Oregon State". Arizona State Sun Devils Athletics. March 25, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  31. ^ "Sun Devils Claim Series Win With Walk-Off Grand Slam". Arizona State Sun Devils Athletics. March 26, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  32. ^ "Sun Devil Softball Falls In Final Game Against Oregon State". Arizona State Sun Devils Athletics. March 27, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  33. ^ "Long Ball Leads Sun Devils over Cal". Arizona State Sun Devils Athletics. May 5, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  34. ^ "Sun Devils Clinch Series With, 10-0, Win Over Cal". Arizona State Sun Devils Athletics. May 6, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  35. ^ "Pac-12 announces 2017 Softball All-Conference honors". Pac-12 Conference. May 15, 2017. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  36. ^ "Bandits sweep weekly NPF awards". Daily Herald. June 13, 2018. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  37. ^ NationalProFastpitch [@profastpitch] (June 11, 2018). "In game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader against Aussie Spirit, Chicago Bandits' Sashel Palacios went 3-for-4 with a HR, 2B, and 3 RBI! Congratulations Vaultz® Lock It Up® Player of the Game, Sashel Palacios! @VaultzProducts @Chicago_Bandits #NPF2018 #lockitup #playerofthegame #sheis" (Tweet). Retrieved January 15, 2022 – via Twitter.
  38. ^ "Sashel Palacios". npf.805stats.com. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  39. ^ Detwiler, Christopher (August 26, 2020). "Meet the 56 athletes taking the field for Athletes Unlimited's inaugural softball season". Athletes Unlimited. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  40. ^ a b Baccellieri, Emma (February 26, 2021). "Welcome to the Grand Softball Experiment". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  41. Athletes Unlimited. Archived
    from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  42. ^ "Pro News: Athletes Unlimited Season 1 Wraps Up with Games 29 & 30 As Jaquish & McCleney Hit Key Homers & Cat Ends Up #1!". Extra Innings Softball. September 28, 2020. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  43. ^ "Pro Softball News: Athletes Unlimited Announces Full Rosters for Season 2, Which Starts August 28". Extra Inning Softball. August 5, 2021. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  44. ^ Brown, LaDarius (August 31, 2021). "Athletes Unlimited Softball: Exciting Week One". Beyond Women's Sports. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  45. ^ Brown, LaDarius (September 14, 2021). "AU Softball: A Powerful and Smooth Week Three". Beyond Women's Sports. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  46. ^ "Pro News: Final Games of the 2021 Athletes Unlimited Season Highlighted by Cat Osterman's Victorious Goodbye & Aleshia Ocasio Being Crowned the Individual Champion (Games 29 & 30)". Extra Inning Softball. September 28, 2021. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  47. Orange County Register
    . July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  48. ^ Daniels, Tim (July 2, 2015). "World Cup of Softball 2015 Results: Thursday Scores, Highlights, Standings". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  49. ^ a b "Sashel Palacios". Mexican Softball Federation. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  50. ^ Sievers, Chez (March 28, 2019). "Cleveland Comets Announce Partnership With Team Mexico For 2019 NPF Season". Flo Softball. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  51. ^ "Puerto Rico, Mexico earn wins behind strong pitching performances; Juarez and Escobedo no-hit Philippines". World Baseball Softball Confederation. August 4, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  52. ^ Sievers, Chez (August 8, 2022). "USA Claims No. 1 Seed At The World Softball Championship". FloSoftball. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  53. ^ Gomez, Eric (August 8, 2019). "U.S.-born softball players keep Olympic hopes alive playing for Mexico at Pan American Games". ESPN. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  54. ^ "Canada, USA remain undefeated in Lima 2019 Women's Softball event". World Baseball Softball Confederation. August 6, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  55. ^ "Catcher Sashel Palacios proud Mexico qualified for Olympic softball for first time in history". World Baseball Softball Confederation. April 15, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  56. ^ Palmer, Dan (August 31, 2019). "Mexico beat hosts Canada to qualify for Tokyo 2020 Olympic softball tournament". Inside the Games. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  57. ^ Woldegebriel, Yodit (September 16, 2019). "Three former ASU softball players to represent Mexico in 2020 Olympics". Arizona Sports. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  58. ^ "2020 Australia Pacific Cup". Softball Australia. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  59. ^ "Sashel Palacios". World Baseball Softball Confederation. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  60. ^ McKelvey, John (April 10, 2021). "Arizona-Mexico exhibition provides special moment for Palacios sisters". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  61. ^ Kelapire, Ryan (April 10, 2021). "3 former Wildcats return to Hillenbrand as Arizona softball falls to Team Mexico". Arizona Desert Swarm. SB Nation. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  62. ^ "Sashel Palacios Named to CoSIDA Regional Academic Team". Arizona State Sun Devils Athletics. May 4, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  63. ^ "The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences counts down top 2021 stories". ASU News. Arizona State University. December 22, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2022.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sashel_Palacios&oldid=1219090818"