All-Conference 11.Indd
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2011 Big West Baseball 2 Corporate Park, Suite 206, Irvine, CA 92606 • Phone: (949) 261-2525 • Fax: (949) 261-2528 • email: [email protected] Info. Director: Mike Villamor • Assoc. Info. Director (BB Contact): Julie St.Cyr • Asst. Info. Director: Chris Hargraves All-Conference - May 31, 2011 Fullerton, Irvine Headline Big West Baseball Awards Irvine, Calif. — After capturing their second straight Big West Conference Championship and receiving the honor of hosting a NCAA Regional, Cal State Fullerton’s good fortune continued with the Big West Conference yearly awards, as it walked away with three of the top honors. Nick Ramirez was tabbed Big West Player of the Year, Michael Lorenzen garnered Big West Freshman Player of the Year accolades and Dave Serrano scooped up the Big West Coach of the Year award. UC Irvine once again nabbed Big West Pitcher of the Year with the choice of Matt Summers and teammate Brian Hernandez collected the inaugural Big West Defensive Player of the Year award. Rounding out the top honors was UC Riverside’s Dylan Stuart, who was tabbed Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year. Ramirez becomes the second consecutive Titan to claim the Big West Player of the Year honor after Gary Brown received the distinction a year ago. An all-around player, Ramirez makes his presence felt both at the plate and on the mound. Hitting .286, his power at the plate is undeniable as he paces the conference with nine home runs while tying for fifth in doubles with 15. The junior from Anaheim, Calif., owns a team best 45 RBI and 39 runs scored, which ranks him second and ninth in the Big West, respectively. The southpaw is just as dominate on the mound, as he owns a league-high 16 saves, which is good enough for fifth all-time in the Big West single-season annals. Combined with his previous two years in a Titan uniform, he holds 34 career saves which places him in a tie for fourth in the record books. In 24.0 innings pitched he owns a 1.12 earned run average while recording 31 strikeouts. Ramirez is also being recognized nationally, making the mideseason watch list for both the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award and the Pitcher of the Year award, while being named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. For the fourth straight year a UC Irvine player has been named Big West Pitcher of the Year with the selection of Summers. Daniel Bibona picked up the honor in both 2009 and 2010 and Scott Gorgen was part of a trio that shared the 2008 award. The junior from Scottsdale, Ariz., is tied for first in the league with a 1.74 ERA in 103.2 innings pitched and boasts a conference-best 10 wins. In Big West action he was even more impressive, recording a second-best 1.46 ERA and 52 strikeouts while posting a perfect 8-0 mark. Summers ended the 2011 regular season on a high note, tossing the Anteat- ers’ first no-hitter since Glenn Swanson hurled a gem in 2006. His efforts landed him his second consecutive Big West Pitcher of the Week award, as well as National Pitcher of the Week accolades. Picking up the inaugural Big West Defensive Player of the Year award is two-way player Hernandez. The senior from Sylmar, Calif., played third base but also saw time on the bump as UC Irvine’s closer. In 192 chances, Hernandez tallied 43 putouts, 145 assists and committed four errors for a .979 fielding percentage. Over the course of the year he also collected 12 saves, good enough for second in the league, in 27.0 innings pitched while posting a 3.33 ERA and 3-2 record. Hernandez joins Ramirez on the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award midseason watchlist. In his first season donning the blue and orange, Lorenzen has already made a name for himself as he earned Big West Freshman Player of the Year honors. The centerfielder from Anaheim, Calif., paces the Titans in hitting (.350), slugging percentage (.489) and stolen bases (19). In 46 games played, Lorenzen has also added 48 hits and 31 runs and RBIs to his already impressive total. Lorenzen was the only freshman this season to collect Big West Player of the Week accolades, a feat he accomplished on May 16 after he led the Titans to a sweep of cross-town rival Long Beach State. UC Riverside entered the 2011 season with one of the more veteran pitching staffs in the league, but Stuart became a freshman standout for the High- landers. The lefty from Riverside, Calif., registered a 1.72 ERA for a 1-1 record in 18 appearances. Pitching 31.1 innings in relief, Stuart gave up just six runs while striking out 29 batters to earn Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year honors. Once again Cal State Fullerton finds itself atop the Big West Standings, this time with a 19-5 record, which earned Serrano his second consecutive Big West Coach of the Year award. Serrano is the third Fullerton coach to receive multiple accolades with Augie Garrido collecting top honors in 1987 and 1995 and George Horton earning recognition in 1998, 1999 and 2004-06. Along with its impressive Big West record, Cal State Fullerton improved its overall mark to 40-15, giving the Titans their fourth straight 40-win season. Earlier this week Cal State Fullerton received its 20th consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the 2011 Big West baseball title. Cal State Fullerton, who is hosting the NCAA Regional June 3-6, holds the third-longest active consecutive streak in the nation behind Miami (39 years) and Florida State (34 years). UC Irvine picked up five All-Big West First Team selections to lead the conference and is followed by Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara who each earned three nods. The Mustangs of Cal Poly landed two players on the first-team list, while UC Davis, UC Riverside and Pacific each grabbed one spot. Earning first-team nods for both first base and closing pitcher, Ramirez becomes the first three-time All-Big West First Team selection since Chad Cordero hit the trifecta (2001-03). Other repeat offenders are Cal State Fullerton’s Noe Ramirez, UC Irvine’s Brian Hernandez and UC Davis’ David Popkins, each collecting their second first-team accolade. The complete 2011 All-Big West selections are on the following page. 2011 Big West All-Conference Team 2011 BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2011 BIG WEST FRESHMAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR Nick Ramirez, Cal State Fullerton Michael Lorenzen, Cal State Fullerton 2011 BIG WEST PITCHER OF THE YEAR 2011 BIG WEST FRESHMAN PITCHER OF THE YEAR Matt Summers, UC Irvine Dylan Stuart, UC Riverside 2011 BIG WEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2011 BIG WEST COACH OF THE YEAR Brian Hernandez, UC Irvine Dave Serrano, Cal State Fullerton FIRST TEAM Player School Ht. B/T Yr. Pos. Hometown Ronnie Shaeffer UC Irvine 6-2 R/R Jr. C Garden Grove, Calif. Nick Ramirez$ Cal State Fullerton 6-3 L/L Jr. 1B Anaheim, Calif. Sean Williams UC Santa Barbara 6-2 R/R Sr. 2B Costa Mesa, Calif. Brian Hernandez^ UC Irvine 6-1 R/R Sr. 3B Sylmar, Calif. Trevor Hairgrove UC Riverside 6-1 R/R Sr. SS Highland, Calif. Bobby Crocker Cal Poly 6-3 R/R Jr. OF Aromas, Calif. Drew Hillman UC Irvine 6-0 R/R Sr. OF Lake Forest, Calif. Mark Haddow UC Santa Barbara 6-2 R/R Sr. OF Newbury Park, Calif. David Popkins^ UC Davis 6-3 R/R Jr. DH San Diego, Calif. Brian Hernandez^ UC Irvine 6-1 R/R Sr. UTL Sylmar, Calif. Dustin Torchio Pacific 5-10 S/R So. UTL Santa Cruz, Calif. Mason Radeke Cal Poly 6-1 R/R Jr. SP Santa Barbara, Calif. Noe Ramirez^ Cal State Fullerton 6-3 R/R Jr. SP East Los Angeles, Calif. Matt Summers UC Irvine 6-1 R/R Jr. SP Scottsdale, Ariz. Bryce Uhrig UC Santa Barbara 6-4 R/R Sr. RP Santa Barbara, Calif. Nick Ramirez$ Cal State Fullerton 6-3 L/L Jr. CP Anaheim, Calif. SECOND TEAM Player School Ht. B/T Yr. Pos. Hometown Marty Bowen Cal State Northridge 6-0 R/R So. C Oceanside, Calif. Brian Martin Pacific 6-2 L/R Sr. 1B Livermore, Calif. Matt Duffy Long Beach State 6-2 R/R So. 2B Long Beach, Calif. Ryan Goetz UC Riverside 5-10 S/R Sr. 3B Temple City, Calif. D.J. Crumlich UC Irvine 6-0 R/R Jr. SS Irvine, Calif. Michael Lorenzen Cal State Fullerton 6-3 R/R Fr. OF Anaheim, Calif. Drew Muren Cal State Northridge 6-6 L/R Jr. OF Ramona, Calif. Sean Madigan UC Irvine 5-10 L/L Sr. OF Yorba Linda, Calif. Tyler Pill Cal State Fullerton 6-1 L/R Jr. DH Covina, Calif. Matt Carvutto Pacific 6-3 R/R Sr. UTL Poway, Calif. Anthony Trajano Cal State Fullerton 5-8 R/R Jr. UTL Moreno Valley, Calif. Steven Fischback Cal Poly 6-3 R/R Sr. SP Walnut Creek, Calif. Tyler Pill Cal State Fullerton 6-1 L/R Jr. SP Covina, Calif. Andrew Gagnon Long Beach State 6-4 R/R Jr. SP Brentwood, Calif. Frankie Reed Cal Poly 6-1 L/L Sr. RP Simi Valley, Calif. Jeff Johnson Cal Poly 6-0 R/R Jr. CP Thousand Oaks, Calif.