BSB | Five Gaels Earn All-WCC Accolades
5/22/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 22, 2018
2018 All-WCC Baseball Second Team
2018 All-WCC Baseball Honorable Mention
Jon Allen, San Francisco; Joe Becht, Santa Clara; Tyler Cohen, Loyola Marymount; Joey Fiske, Saint Mary's; Nick Frasso, Loyola Marymount; James Free, Pacific; Alek Jacob, Gonzaga; Connor Knutson, Portland; Shelby Lackey, Pacific; Alex LeForestier, Pacific; Ty Madrigal, Saint Mary's; Chris Murphy, San Diego; Niko Pacheco, Loyola Marymount; Billy Wilson, Loyola Marymount; Steven Wilson, Santa Clara.
2018 All-WCC Freshmen Team
SAN BRUNO — The Saint Mary's baseball team had five players honored Tuesday on the 2018 All-West Coast Conference Teams, with sophomore left-handed pitcher Ken Waldichuk earning first team honors.
Joining Waldichuk with all-WCC honors was right-handed pitcher/designated hitter Kevin Milam and catcher Jackson Thoreson, both named to the second team. Centerfielder Joey Fiske and left-handed reliever Ty Madrigal were both given Honorable Mention accolades. The awards mark the 11th consecutive season the Gaels have had an all-WCC first team honoree, including all five years of current head coach Eric Valenzuela's tenure. It is the third straight season SMC has had at least five different players earn recognition.
Regular season champion Pepperdine nearly swept all of the major individual WCC awards. The Waves grabbed Player of the Year with Jordan Qsar, Pitcher of the Year with Jonathan Pendergast, Freshman of the Year with Cooper Chandler, and Coach of the Year with Rick Hirtensteiner. WCC Defensive Player of the Year went to Loyola Marymount's Cooper Uhl. Pepperdine and San Francisco led the conference with three all-WCC first team selections each.
The sophomore Waldichuk finished his first year in the starting rotation winning the WCC's pitching Triple Crown, leading the conference in ERA (2.05) and strikeouts (118), and tying for the conference lead in wins with eight. Waldichuk posted seven double-figure strikeout games, including three in conference play. He mowed down a career-high 14 versus San Francisco on April 8 and had two other games with 12 strikeouts. Twice he held opponents to just two hits in his starts while starting the year 6-1 with a miniscule 1.15 ERA in his first nine starts.
Thoreson had the best offensive season of his career in 2018, batting a career-best .288 with career highs in doubles (15), RBIs (41), slugging percentage (.516), on-base percentage (.407), and a career-high-tying nine home runs. He led the Gaels in all of those offensive categories while also twice being named WCC Player of the Week. Five of his nine home runs tied the game or gave the Gaels the lead.
Milam was once again one of the best two-way players in the country, this year entering the starting rotation while batting over .300 at the plate for the second straight year. Milam led SMC with a .302 batting average and a .430 on-base percentage. He was second on the team behind Thoreson with five home runs, 12 doubles and 29 RBIs. In his first year as a starter on the mound, he went 6-4 with a 3.68 ERA, striking out 81 in 85 2/3 innings. He set a new career high with 12 strikeouts against BYU on May 3 and limited opponents to just four hits in four of his starts.
Madrigal had a career year as a reliever for the Gaels, posting a 1.90 ERA in 22 appearances. He struck out 54 against just 19 walks in 47 1/3 innings while holding opponents to just a .186 batting average. He went 3-2 and also recorded the first two saves of his career against Utah Valley on April 27 and 29.
Fiske appeared in all 54 of the Gaels' games, starting 52 of them as a constant presence in center field and at the top of the batting order. He hit .288 with a team-high 60 hits and nine stolen bases. He was second on the team with 35 runs scored while boasting a .381 on-base percentage (fourth on team). He had three separate hit streaks of six games, his last one coming from May 4-15 with four multi-hit games and a .556 batting average.
2018 All-West Coast Conference Baseball First Team
| Name | Yr. | Pos. | School |
| Daniel Bies | Jr. | RHP | Gonzaga |
| Brock Hale | Jr. | OF | BYU |
| Cody Hawken | Jr. | OF | Portland |
| Riley Helland | Jr. | C | San Francisco |
| Matt Kanfer | Jr. | OF | Pepperdine |
| Casey Legumina | So. | RHP | Gonzaga |
| Riley Ornido | So. | RHP | San Francisco |
| Jonathan Pendergast | Jr. | RHP | Pepperdine |
| Mike Perri | Sr. | IF | San Francisco |
| Jordan Qsar | Sr. | OF/RHP | Pepperdine |
| Jamey Smart | Sr. | IF | Loyola Marymount |
| Ken Waldichuk | So. | LHP | Saint Mary's |
| Jordan Wood | Sr. | RHP | BYU |
2018 All-WCC Baseball Second Team
| Name | Yr. | Pos. | School |
| Jake Brodt | Sr. | IF | Santa Clara |
| Beau Brundage | So. | OF | Portland |
| Cooper Chandler | Fr. | RHP | Pepperdine |
| Adam Kerner | Fr. | C | San Diego |
| Mac Lardner | So. | LHP | Gonzaga |
| Quincy McAfee | So. | IF | Pepperdine |
| Shane McGuire | Fr. | IF | San Diego |
| Kevin Milam | So. | DH/RHP | Saint Mary's |
| Thomas Ponticelli | Jr. | RHP | San Francisco |
| Nick Sogard | So. | IF | Loyola Marymount |
| Jackson Thoreson | Sr. | C | Saint Mary's |
| Cooper Uhl | So. | C | Loyola Marymount |
| Ernie Yake | Fr. | IF | Gonzaga |
2018 All-WCC Baseball Honorable Mention
Jon Allen, San Francisco; Joe Becht, Santa Clara; Tyler Cohen, Loyola Marymount; Joey Fiske, Saint Mary's; Nick Frasso, Loyola Marymount; James Free, Pacific; Alek Jacob, Gonzaga; Connor Knutson, Portland; Shelby Lackey, Pacific; Alex LeForestier, Pacific; Ty Madrigal, Saint Mary's; Chris Murphy, San Diego; Niko Pacheco, Loyola Marymount; Billy Wilson, Loyola Marymount; Steven Wilson, Santa Clara.
2018 All-WCC Freshmen Team
| Name | Pos. | School |
| Brandt Belk | IF/OF | Pepperdine |
| Cooper Chandler | RHP | Pepperdine |
| Nick Frasso | RHP | Loyola Marymount |
| Alek Jacob | RHP | Gonzaga |
| Adam Kerner | C | San Diego |
| Alex LeForestier | IF | Pacific |
| Shane McGuire | IF | San Diego |
| Eli Morse | RHP | Portland |
| Tora Otsuka | OF | San Diego |
| Ernie Yake | IF | Gonzaga |
Players Mentioned
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