Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
BASE | Milam, Waldichuk Named to 2019 All-WCC Preseason Team
2/6/2019 11:35:00 AM | Baseball
MORAGA, Calif. – One year removed from their third-consecutive 30+ win season, Saint Mary's has been picked to finish third in the West Coast Conference with the second-most first-place votes. Meanwhile, Kevin Milam and Ken Waldichuk have each earned a spot on the All-WCC Preseason Team.
Saint Mary's racked up 31 wins in 2018 and their fifth-place finish did not tell the whole story: SMC came within one win of the WCC tournament and ultimately fell to Loyola Marymount in a winner-take-all season finale. Despite their season-finish, the Gaels saw five team members receive All-WCC accolades: Milam, Waldichuk, Jackson Thoreson, Joey Fiske, and Ty Madrigal. Three of those players will return this season, including Milam and Waldichuk who were recognized on this year's preseason team.
Waldichuk is coming off of a sophomore campaign where he led the conference in earned run average (2.05), strikeouts (118), and tied for most wins (8). Seven of his starts saw his strikeout total hit double-digits and he started the year 6-1 with a 1.15 ERA. The San Diego native was also recognized by Collegiate Baseball on December 17, being named a Preseason Second Team All-American.
Milam's 2018 achievements have also been well-documented in the weeks leading up the season as he has been recognized by both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (Preseason First Team All-American) and Perfect Game (Preseason Second Team All-American). Not only did he tout the Gaels' highest batting average last year (.302), but he also impressed on the mound in his first year as a starter with a 3.68 ERA and 81 punchouts in 85 2/3 innings.
2019 WCC Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll
2019 All-WCC Preseason BaseballTeam – Position Players
2019 All-WCC Preseason BaseballTeam – Pitchers
#GaelsRise – For ticket information to all home baseball games, call the SMC Ticket Office today at 925-631-4689 or click the ticket link here to purchase your seats now.
Saint Mary's racked up 31 wins in 2018 and their fifth-place finish did not tell the whole story: SMC came within one win of the WCC tournament and ultimately fell to Loyola Marymount in a winner-take-all season finale. Despite their season-finish, the Gaels saw five team members receive All-WCC accolades: Milam, Waldichuk, Jackson Thoreson, Joey Fiske, and Ty Madrigal. Three of those players will return this season, including Milam and Waldichuk who were recognized on this year's preseason team.
Waldichuk is coming off of a sophomore campaign where he led the conference in earned run average (2.05), strikeouts (118), and tied for most wins (8). Seven of his starts saw his strikeout total hit double-digits and he started the year 6-1 with a 1.15 ERA. The San Diego native was also recognized by Collegiate Baseball on December 17, being named a Preseason Second Team All-American.
Milam's 2018 achievements have also been well-documented in the weeks leading up the season as he has been recognized by both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (Preseason First Team All-American) and Perfect Game (Preseason Second Team All-American). Not only did he tout the Gaels' highest batting average last year (.302), but he also impressed on the mound in his first year as a starter with a 3.68 ERA and 81 punchouts in 85 2/3 innings.
2019 WCC Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll
| Team (First Place Vote) | Pts. | |
| 1. Gonzaga | (5) | 74 |
| 2. Pepperdine | 66 | |
| 3. Saint Mary's | (4) | 65 |
| 4. San Diego | 52 | |
| 5. San Francisco | 44 | |
| 6. BYU | (1) | 41 |
| 7. LMU | 37 | |
| 8. Portland | 32 | |
| 9. Santa Clara | 26 | |
| 10. Pacific | 13 |
2019 All-WCC Preseason Baseball
| Name | Institution | Yr. | Pos. |
| James Free II | Pacific | Jr. | C |
| Brock Hale | BYU | Sr. | OF |
| Cody Hawken | Portland | Sr. | OF |
| Riley Helland | San Francisco | Sr. | IF/C |
| Adam Kerner | San Diego | So. | C |
| Quincy McAfee | Pepperdine | Jr. | IF |
| Shane McGuire | San Diego | So. | C/IF |
| Kevin Milam | Saint Mary's | Jr. | IF/RHP |
| Nick Sogard | LMU | Jr. | IF |
| Ernie Yake | Gonzaga | Jr. | IF |
2019 All-WCC Preseason Baseball
| Name | Institution | Yr. | Pos. |
| Cooper Chandler | Pepperdine | So. | RHP |
| Casey Legumina | Gonzaga | Jr. | RHP |
| Riley Ornido | San Francisco | Jr. | RHP |
| Jonathan Pendergast | Pepperdine | Sr. | RHP |
| Ken Waldichuk | Saint Mary's | Jr. | LHP |
#GaelsRise – For ticket information to all home baseball games, call the SMC Ticket Office today at 925-631-4689 or click the ticket link here to purchase your seats now.
Players Mentioned
OF
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