Briefs: Several Pirates capture OEC honors
Orange Coast College sophomores Chris Carlson and Keegan Yuhl swept top honors to lead eight Pirates who collected All-Orange Empire Conference honors in baseball.
Carlson’s .440 batting average was third in the state and he had seven home runs and 42 runs batted in headed into the best-of-three Southern California Regional series two weeks ago at OCC.
Carlson batted .471 with six homers and 23 RBI in conference play to help the Pirates win their first outright title since 1987. His 11 steals led the team and he posted an on-base percentage of .517 and a slugging percentage of .744, both best on the team.
Carlson, who began his college career at UCI, was a first-team all-conference performer as a freshman.
Yuhl, a transfer from San Diego City College who began his collegiate career at San Diego State was 10-1 with two saves and a 1.80 earned-run average. He struck out 60 in 75 innings.
John Altobelli, in his 20th season at OCC, was named Coach of the Year for the fifth time.
Also representing OCC on the first team were freshman pitcher Brandon Brennan, sophomore shortstop Joel Licon, freshman center fielder Boog Powell and freshman right fielder Bijan Rademacher.
Sophomore catcher Trent Woodward and sophomore reliever Ryan Evans were second-team choices.
Brennan, a bounce-back from the University of Oregon, was 9-1 with a 1.42 ERA. He fanned 55 in 82 1/3 innings.
Licon, who began his collegiate career at Loyola Marymount, hit .310 with 36 hits, 34 runs, three homers and 28 RBIs. He batted .355 against conference foes.
Powell, the leadoff man, batted .419 with 65 hits, 46 runs, 22 RBIs and eight steals in the regular season.
Rademacher, who transferred from Cal State Fullerton, hit .345 with 42 RBIs, 24 runs, six homers and 40 hits. He also emerged late in the season as the team’s closer, posting three saves and striking out five in four innings.
Woodward hit .375 in conference play with 18 hits, 13 runs and 11 hits in 18 games.
Evans went 3-0 with a 1.56 ERA in the regular season, making 15 appearances that included three starts.
The Pirates (36-5-1), ranked No. 1 in Southern California, begin play in the four-team state tournament Friday.
— From staff reports
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Arroyo, Leyland lauded for VU
Vanguard University senior infielder Bryce Arroyo is the Lions lone representative on the All-Golden State Athletic Conference baseball team.
Arroyo, who started 42 games for Vanguard (23-21, 13-19 in the GSAC), hit .327, third-best on the team. His five home runs shared the team lead and his 34 runs batted in were tops on the roster.
Arroyo had 50 hits, including 13 doubles, and he stole three bases. His slugging percentage was .510.
Former UC Irvine first baseman, designated hitter and outfielder Jordan Leyland, who stated at first base for Azusa Pacific this season, was named Player of the Year in the conference.
Leyland hit .441 with 20 home runs and 64 RBIs to pace the Cougars. His 82 hits also included 17 doubles and he amassed a slugging percentage of .855 in the regular season. He had an on-base percentage of .535 and he was successful on seven of nine stolen-base attempts.
— From staff reports
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Ex-Sailor lauded
Casey Lucas, a Newport Harbor High product who is a junior at William Jessup University, was named Newcomer of the Year in the All-California Pacific Conference in softball.
Lucas, who earned second-team all-conference honors, batted .291 with 32 hits, two doubles and three triples. She hit .378 in conference play and led the team with 11 sacrifice hits.
She played shortstop for the NAIA school located in Rocklin, Calif.
— From staff reports