UCI’s Hiura singled out

UC Irvine outfielder Keston Hiura, who led the Big West Conference with 52 runs batted in, has been named Big West Conference Freshman Field Player of the Year and a first-team all-conference honoree in baseball.

Hiura, who hit .330 with a UCI freshman-record seven home runs, slugged .520 and had 18 doubles. His 75 hits ranked second in the conference and he scored 40 runs. He is UCI’s first Freshman of the Year in the conference.

Hiura is joined on the first team by teammate Mikey Duarte, a junior shortstop. Senior catcher Jerry McClanahan and junior first baseman Mitchell Holland represented the Anteaters on the second team.

Duarte led the conference with 78 hits and his team-best batting average of .345 ranked fifth in the conference in the regular season. He tied for second among Big West players with 43 runs and his 17 doubles ranked fourth. His .416 on-base percentage was seventh among conference players. In addition, he committed just six errors to post a .978 fielding percentage.

McClanahan was named a repeat second-team honoree after leading the conference in walks with 44. He finishes his career second in the UCI record book with 120 career walks. McClanahan was fourth in the conference with a .434 on-base percentage and tied for fifth with 40 runs scored. Defensively, he tied for first in the conference with 25 runners caught stealing in 55 attempts for a .455 average.

Holland hit .325 with a .482 slugging percentage. He hit five homers, 14 doubles and 35 RBIs, while his 488 chances and 452 putouts ranked No. 2 in the Big West.

Senior outfielder Kris Paulino received honorable mention after posting a conference-best .507 on-base percentage in Big West play. He hit .393 against Big West pitching and slugged .500 against conference foes.

UCI finished 33-23, 15-9 for third place in the Big West.

UC Santa Barbara senior outfielder Cameron Newell and Cal State Fullerton designated hitter David Olmedo-Barrera shared Field Player of the Year laurels while Titans junior Thomas Eshelman was named Pitcher of the Year.

Chris Matthewson of Long Beach State was the Freshman Pitcher of the Year, while Cal Poly San Luis Obispo junior shortstop Peter Van Gansen was the Defensive Player of the Year.

Cal State Fullerton’s Rick Vanderhook was named Coach of the Year.

— From staff reports