Briefs: Four locals earn All-OEC baseball honors

Four players with local ties, including three from Orange Coast College, have been named first-team All-Orange Empire Conference by the conference’s baseball coaches.

Freshman pitcher David Wilson, as well as sophomore first baseman Danny Jiminez and sophomore outfielder Zach Nehrir represent OCC on the first-team, while Cypress College sophomore designated hitter Blake Davey, a Newport Harbor High product, is also a first-team honoree.

OCC sophomore pitcher Kyle Dowdy made the second team.

Wilson compiled a 4-2 record with a team-leading four saves and a 2.51 earned-run average in 18 regular-season appearances, including five starts. He allowed 47 hits in 571/3 innings with 38 strikeouts and 10 walks.

Jiminez, a transfer from Irvine Valley, hit .309 with one home run and 23 runs batted in for the Pirates (22-14), who play Palomar in a best-of-three regional to open the Southern California playoffs, beginning Friday. He had 12 doubles and scored 22 times.

Nehrir, the Pirates’ primary leadoff man and center fielder, hit . 329 with one homer and 21 RBIs. He scored 21 runs, and had five doubles, four triples and two stolen bases.

Davey, a bounce-back from the University of Arizona, hit .339 with one homer, 24 RBIs and 12 doubles. He also scored 27 runs to help Cypress (23-13) finish fourth in the OEC and advance to the regionals.

Dowdy, a bounce-back from the University of Hawaii, was 6-2 with one save and a 2.39 ERA in the regular season. He allowed 53 hits and struck out 27 in 672/3 innings.

Conference champion Fullerton dominated the top individual awards, including freshman Dakota Wix (Player of the Year), freshman Stephen Kane (Pitcher of the Year) and Nick Fuscardo (Coach of the Year).

— From staff reports

Gyulay to USD

Newport Harbor senior Landon Gyulay has committed to play football at the University of San Diego, said his father, Tom, in an email.

Tom said his son had preferred walk-on opportunities at several other schools, but Gyulay decided to play for the University of San Diego, a Division I-AA program.

Gyulay, a cornerback and wide receiver, earned first-team All-Sunset League and Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Dream Team honors for the second straight season.

Gyulay finished with 37 receptions for 517 yards and four touchdowns. On defense, he made 34 tackles, intercepted a pass and recorded a sack.

Gyulay helped the Sailors to a 4-1 record in Sunset League play, the program’s best mark in that league in 35 years. Newport Harbor also reached the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division playoffs, its first quarterfinal appearance in seven years.

Gyulay was also nominated to play in the 54th Brea Lions Club Orange County North-South Prep All-Star Football Game.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza

Mesa pair lauded

Seniors Quan Nguyen and Ashley Tfaye have been selected as the CIF Southern Section Academic Student-Athletes of the Year for Costa Mesa High, the school announced.

Nguyen and Tfaye earned the awards, which are based on non-weighted grade-point averages of 3.0 or higher, participation in varsity sports and extracurricular activities during their final year of high school.

The school announced that its baseball, cross-country, soccer, swimming, tennis, volleyball, water polo and wrestling teams were also honored by the section.

Costa Mesa also received the 31st annual CIF Southern Section Kenny Fagans Shake for Sportsmanship Award, which was presented by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The award is named after the late Kenny Fagans, the section commissioner from 1954-1975.

Costa Mesa is the Orange Coast League’s recipient of the award.

— From staff reports

UCI duo in regional

UC Irvine women’s golfers Michelle Park and Luciane Lee have been selected to participate as individuals in the NCAA West Regional, May 9-11 at the Stanford Golf Course.

Park, a senior, has posted four top-10 finishes this season and leads UCI with a 75.33 scoring average.

Lee, a freshman, has a 76.05 scoring average. She was second at the Fresno State tournament and third at the Juli Inkster Invitational.

The championship finals are May 21-24 in Georgia.

— From staff reports