BERKELEY, Calif. – The University of California recently announced that former Golden Bear standout and long-time USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) member, Valerie Arioto, will be inducted into the 36th class of the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame enshrinement is set to take place the weekend of Oct. 21-22 in Berkeley, Calif.
“We are so excited to see Val being inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame,” said USA Softball Chief Sport Development/Performance Officer, Chris Sebren. “She has been such a huge part of USA Softball for the past decade with contributions both on and off the field. We congratulate Val on this much deserved honor.”
The Cal alum (2008-2012) concluded her collegiate year as a three-time NFCA All-American and three-time All-Pac-12 first team selection while also being named the 2012 Pac-12 Player of the Year after leading the Golden Bears to its most recent conference title during her senior campaign. A Top 3 Finalist for the 2012 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, Arioto tops the charts on the Cal softball career record list in runs scored (222) and total bases (431), while also ranking second in walks (264), RBI (186), slugging percentage (.656) and is tied for second in home runs (54). In 2012, she received both the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award and the Tom Hansen Conference Medal as Cal's outstanding senior female student-athlete.
A member of the USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) for the last decade, Arioto recently announced her retirement following a remarkable career of representing the Red, White and Blue. Among her many accolades as a member of Team USA, Arioto has helped the U.S. to four World Cup gold medals, three Pan American Games gold medals, and two World Championship gold medals in addition to the long-awaited Olympic Medal victory in Tokyo where Arioto and Team USA earned silver.
The 10-year veteran carried a dominating presence at the plate for the U.S., including a .611 batting average at the 2016 WBSC World Championship where she sent seven balls out of the park with 18 RBIs and 11 runs scored. Additionally, Arioto’s impact extends beyond the playing field as an athlete representative on the USA Softball Board of Directors where she’s played a key role in the growth and development of the sport of softball.