Erin Kinney of Bainbridge Island has been named to the prestigious National Fastpitch Coaches Association West Region all-star team after her first season on the Linfield College softball team.

Kinney was a four-year varsity starter at third base for the Bainbridge High Spartans before she graduated in 2013.

She began her debut season as an unknown commodity for the Linfield Wildcats but quickly made her skills apparent. She first saw action as a pinch hitter before the coaching staff carved out playing time for her in left field and as the designated player.

Kinney finished with a .385 batting average – fourth-best on the club – with 10 doubles and four home runs.

She also drove in 21 runs and had the third-highest slugging percentage on the team at .624.

“Erin went 3-for-5 in her first few pinch-hit opportunities. We realized then she was someone we needed to give some more at-bats to, but we just had to find a place for her to play defensively,” said Wildcats Coach Jackson Vaughan.

“Offensively, Erin really stepped up and gave us a really solid hitter in the No. 5 spot. She had a lot of big hits toward the end of the year,” Vaughan said.

The All-Region teams are nominated and selected by coaches of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in each of the eight Division III regions.

The Wildcats concluded the 2014 season with an overall record of 34-9, a Northwest Conference championship, NWC Tournament title, and an appearance in the Redlands Regional playoff tournament.