Big West Softball Player of the Year Jessica Clements has transferred from Cal Poly- San Luis Obispo to UCLA, where she will spend her final college softball season as a graduate student.

The Santa Catalina graduate is coming off a season in which she was a National Fastpitch Coaches Association second-team All-Region outfielder, leading the Big West Conference in hitting for the second time in three years.

The left-handed hitting Clements led the Big West last year in hits with 71 in 45 starts, while hitting .464 — the second-best mark in Cal Poly school history.

The 5-foot-8 Clements recorded 23 multi-hit games last spring, stealing 13 bases, while sporting a .988 fielding percentage in center field.

A three-time NFCA All-Big West Conference selection, Clements is Cal Poly’s career leader in hitting at .414 and is fifth all-time in stolen bases (30).

Clements was a NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year Top 25 finalist in 2022 and the Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year.

A former member of The Herald’s All-County softball team, Clements had 185 hits in 135 games at Cal Poly, scoring 100 runs, with 40 extra base hits and 45 walks.

Having earned her degree at Cal Poly in agricultural business, she’s studying John Wooden’s Transformative Coaching and Leadership for her master’s degree.

MPC’s Garry headed to Sioux Falls

For someone who didn’t take up the sport until his junior year in high school, Noah Garry’s decision to play football has landed him an athletic scholarship to the University of Sioux Falls.

The Monterey Peninsula College all-conference linebacker is just tipping the scales on his potential in the sport, having played the linebacker position fulltime for just a year.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Garry led the Lobos in tackles this past fall with 60 in 10 games, compiling a sack and two interceptions, leading the team in tackles in their 13-12 win over De Anza in the American Bowl.

A Division II program, Sioux Falls was 8-3 last season, 7-3 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

A Pacific Grove High graduate, Garry solidified the Lobos defense as an outside linebacker with the ability to come up and stuff the run, or drop back and cover a tight end or running back.

Garry, who was used as a running back and linebacker as a freshman at MPC, was part of a defense that recorded back-to-back shutouts for the first time in 30 years last fall.

During his senior season at Pacific Grove, Garry rushed for just under 500 yards and five touchdowns, while catching 13 passes as a receiver.

Monterey Bay FC inks defender

As training camp draws closer, Monterey Bay FC continues to add pieces to its puzzle, signing defender Nico Gordon to a one-year contract.

The 22-year-old spent last year with FC Dallas MLS NEXT Pro side, where he was the team captain, logging nearly 2,000 minutes in 22 appearances. The Birmingham, England native anchored a defense that allowed the second fewest goals in MLS Next.

Gordon ignited the franchise to the MLS NEXT Pro Cup title, helping them become the league’s first team to go undefeated at home. He was also named the league’s end-of-season Best XI.

“Nico is defensively solid, has composure on the ball and leadership qualities,” Monterey Bay FC coach Jordan Stewart said. “His performance last year highlighted his ability to handle pressure and contribute both defensively and in building play.”

Having signed his first professional contract with Birmingham City F.C. in 2020, Gordon made 15 appearances. He produced his first goal for the club in 2022.

Last year Gordon had multiple call-ups to the Montserrat Men’s National Team, competing in the 2024 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Nicaragua and Panama. He also received call-ups for Nations League play, facing El Salvador and St. Vincent.

“I want us to be the team that other teams hate to play against,” Gordon said. “I want to be the top area of the table playing top quality football. I am a composed player, but also very hungry.”

The Union will open training camp for their fourth season on Jan. 20.

Bouyea sizzling Spurs’ G-League team

Playmaking guard Jamaree Bouyea is averaging career highs in points and steals this winter for the Austin Spurs of the NBA’s G-League.

The 6-foot-2 Bouyea is averaging 17.3 points and a team-high 2.4 steals a game for the Austin Spurs, an affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs.

The former Palma product is logging 33.9 minutes in the G-League, shooting 48 percent from the field. He’s second on the team in blocks at 1.2, while averaging 4.1 assists a night.

Undrafted out of University of San Francisco, the 25-year-old Bouyea is in his second season with the Spurs, having spent the end of last season with San Antonio.

Named to the G-League all-rookie team in 2023 while at Sioux Falls, the Marina native has had brief stints in the NBA with Miami, Washington, Portland and San Antonio.

In 14 career NBA games, Bouyea, who honed his skills as a youth for Seaside’s Finest, is averaging 2.6 points a game and 1.1 assists. He shot 71 percent from the field in three games for San Antonio last season.

Bouyea helped USF to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 25 years. While at Palma, he led the team to three straight undefeated Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division seasons and a spot in the State Division IV title game in 2016.

Foundation establishes CSUMB scholarship

The Gen Giammanco Foundation, which has awarded numerous local high school athletes with athletic scholarships to continue their careers in college, is establishing a Cal State Monterey Bay athletic scholarship.

The new endowment gift elevates the foundation’s level of support and ensures that an annual athletic scholarship will be awarded to a local student-athlete to CSUMB.

Since its inception in 2017, the Gen Giammanco Foundation has awarded scholarships to athletes in the county who have gone on to play collegiate sports.

Among them are four former standouts who have played at CSUMB, including senior Alexis Sanchez, who played for the Otters’ men’s soccer team last fall.

Since its inception in 2017, the foundation has also helped finance under-funded athletic department’s needs — such as equipment, field improvements and uniforms.

The Gen Giammanco Foundation is to advance educational opportunities for students through participating in athletes.

Coaches needed

Marina is looking for a varsity boys volleyball coach and a varsity baseball coach. Go to www.edjoin.org/MPUSD.

Seaside is looking for head coaches for varsity baseball, and boys and girls swimming. Contact athletic director Steven Vasquez at stvasquez.mpusd.k.12.ca.us

Salinas is looking for head coaches in boys’ volleyball and field hockey. Go to https://salinashscowboysathletics.com

Monterey is looking for an assistant baseball coach. Contact cventimiglia@mpusd.net