Vikings’ Ayala signs with Austin Peay, Rivas commits to Concordia of Michigan

A pair of Long Beach City College sophomores will continue their academic and athletic careers this coming fall at four-year institutions. Pitcher Natalie Ayala (Torrance HS) has signed a National Letter of Intent to play at Austin Peay State University while third baseman Melyssa Rivas (Santa Fe HS) has verbally committed to Concordia University of Michigan.

Ayala was recently named second-team All-South Coast Conference for the Vikings in her lone season at LBCC this spring. She compiled a 15-13 overall record with a 3.13 earned run average. She tossed 19 complete games and struck out 127 batters over 185 2/3 innings pitched.

Ayala will attend Austin Peay on an athletic scholarship and chose APSU over Ohio University as well as other NCAA Division II colleges. Austin Peay competes at the NCAA Division I level in softball and is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). APSU is located in Clarksville, Tennessee.

Rivas was a two-year starter for Long Beach in 2014 and 2012. This spring, she had a .276 batting average and was fifth on the Vikings with 27 hits. As a freshman, she ranked second on her squad with a .318 batting average, 35 hits, and 28 RBI.

Concordia University is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and competes at the NAIA level as part of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC).

"Natalie and Melyssa have both worked so hard to accomplish all their success on and off the field," said LBCC head coach Melissa Angel. "The coaching staff and I are so proud of all their accomplishments and we wish them nothing bu the best in their journey. LBCC Softball will always be there to cheer them on."

Angel expects more sophomores from her 2014 squad to sign on with four-year colleges in the near future.