SAN RAMON, Calif. – Humboldt State softball senior pitcher Katie Obbema was named the California Collegiate Athletic Association Female Athlete of the Year Friday.

The 13 CCAA member institutions’ sports information directors annually vote to determine the award winner. Chico State men’s golfer Alistair Docherty was tabbed the conference’s Male Athlete of the Year.

“I am very proud of Katie’s hard work and production for the Green and Gold in the last four years,” said Head Coach Shelli Sarchett. “She has definitely left a positive and strong impact on this program as well as myself.  Katie came out with something to prove this year and definitely did so. As a freshman she took us to the national stage. The team came up short the next two years, but she continued to work hard everyday and push her teammates to do the same. She never played as an individual, and she was always about the team and what was best for HSU Softball.”

Obbema helped the Lumberjacks to a 199-50-1 record and two trips to the NCAA National Championships during her four-year collegiate career. Her time at HSU also included four-straight NCAA West Regional appearances and a pair of West Region titles. This past season she helped her program to an outstanding 54-7-1 record, CCAA and NCAA Championship West Regional titles, and a runner-up finish at the NCAA Division II Softball Championships.

Obbema ranked among the top five in the CCAA in victories (24), ERA (1.84), strikeouts (160) and batters struck out looking (41). She logged 22 complete games in 28 appearances while holding opponents to a .242 batting average.

For all of her efforts in her final season, Obbema was named one of 25 NFCA National Player of the Year finalists.

The senior from Morgan Hill, Calif., received a number of accolades this past season at the conference, regional, and national levels. Her first of the season was awarded at the CCAA Softball pre-championships banquet, where she was named the conference’s Pitcher of the Year. She then received First Team All-West Region honors by both the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA). Most recently Obbema was named to the NFCA All-America Second Team and the D2CCA All-America Honorable Mention.

“I would like to congratulate Katie for being named a CCAA Athlete of the Year,” said Athletic Director Dan Collen. “She has contributed to her program since her freshman year and is an outstanding competitor. I am proud of her success, and I know she is very deserving of this prestigious award.”

Obbema becomes the third Humboldt State student-athlete to receive the conference’s top honor since the Jacks joined the CCAA in 2007. Former HSU softball players Lizzy Prescott and Chrissy Stalf also earned the honor following the conclusion of their collegiate careers.