UCSB baseball landed a program-record 14 players on the All-Big West team, head coach Andrew Checketts was named Coach of the Year and Ryan Gallagher was honored as Freshman Pitcher of the Year.
The Gauchos had seven of their eight everyday field players, their entire weekend rotation, a second-half designated hitter, a utility player, a reliever and closer recognized by the conference.
Andrew Checketts — Big West Coach of the Year
The honor is his second in three seasons. He led the team to a 27-3 record and a conference championship.
He is taking the Gauchos to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year and sixth time in his 13 years at the helm. The Gauchos play Texas State at the Stanford Regional on Friday at 6 p.m.
Ryan Gallagher — Freshman Pitcher of the Year
He becomes just the third Gaucho to take home the rookie honor, joining Mario Hollands and Rodney Boone. Leading the weekend rotation with a 3.00 ERA and an impeccable 8-0 record, Gallagher continued to show poise on the bump throughout the season. He ranked in the top-10 in the conference in wins, ERA, innings pitched, fewest runs and earned runs allowed.
FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
Bryce Willits
The redshirt junior ranked third in the conference with a .553 slugging percentage. He also tallied the third most doubles with 18, ranked fourth with a .983 OPS and fifth with a .430 OBP.
Christian Kirtley
The left fielder comes into this weekend’s NCAA regional having reached base safely in 43-straight games. The junior ranks fourth in the Big West in homers (11), fifth in OPS (.972) and slugging (.549), sixth in RBI (44), and seventh in walks (33).
Blake Klassen
Although he didn’t crack the starting lineup right away, Klassen made an impact offensively in his 34 games played as anyone in the lineup. Serving as the everyday DH during conference play, the Gaucho newcomer led the league with a .733 slugging percentage and a 1.169 OPS. He also had the third-best batting average (.367), the third-most homers (8) and fifth-most runs scored (27).
Cory Lewis
An honorable mention last year as a freshman, Lewis stepped into the Friday starter role and did not miss a step. Posting a 9-0 record, Lewis allowed the second-lowest opponent batting average (.185) and notched the third-most strikeouts (99). He has an impeccable 10.69 strikeouts per nine innings average, and the Gauchos have yet to lose a game when he is the starting pitcher.
SECOND TEAM
Jordan Sprinkle
The shortstop played in 53 of the Gauchos’ 55 games and for the second-straight year led the Big West in stolen bases with 25. He topped the league with six sacrifice flies, was second with four triples, and touched home plate 43 times, which ranks seventh. On the defensive end, he led the team with 107 assists and turned 23 double-plays.
Broc Mortensen
For the second-straight season, the right fielder paced the conference with 15 home runs. In two seasons, he’s hit 30 bombs which ranks seventh all time in Gaucho history. The lefty also ranks second in the Big West with 51 RBI.
Nick Vogt
The Gauchos’ everyday center fielder was a key contributor on both sides of the ball. He had a 1.000 fielding percentage on 121 chances, added two outfield assists, and ran down balls that otherwise would’ve resulted in runs by the opposition. Offensively, he paced the league in doubles (13), triples (4), and runs (34), while also ranking third in RBI (30) and fourth in hits (42). He also posted the team’s longest hit streak of the season of 21 games.
Mike Gutierrez
The sophomore southpaw stepped straight into a starting role for the Gauchos serving as the Saturday pitcher. He posted an 8-1 record, tying with Gallagher for the third-most wins. He ranked in the top-ten in ERA (3.03), innings pitched (80.1), and strikeouts (78).
Matt Ager
The freshman hurler was one of the most reliable relievers. He led the Gauchos with a 2.92 ERA in 37 innings pitched and allowed only 12 earned runs in 23 appearances while striking out 41. He also ranked seventh in the Big West with five saves.
Ryan Harvey
After finding his home in the’ bullpen early on in the season, Harvey became the team’s closer and paced the league with 11 saves, which ranks 16th in the nation. He struck out 37 in just 29 innings of work.
Honorable Mention
Making the honorable mention list was Jason Willow, who ranked second in the conference with 15 stolen bases and was properly recognized as a utility player. Kyle Johnson was a solid hitter and great glove at first base. John Newman Jr., provided consistent offense at the catcher position.