Westmont senior center fielder Bryce Morison was named an NAIA Second Team All-American after having one of the best single seasons in program history.
Morison becomes just the fifth Westmont baseball player to be selected as an All-American and the first since 1989.
“I couldn’t be more proud of Bryce and this tremendous accomplishment,” said head coach Robert Ruiz. “In the sport of baseball, at the NAIA level, the spots to earn All-American are extremely limited and there is a great pool of highly qualified candidates. For Bryce to have earned this honor is special and he has much to be proud of. He earned every bit of success he achieved this year through his work ethic and commitment to pursuing excellence.”
The All-American teams were voted on by the NAIA-Baseball Coaches’ Association All-America Committee. Morison joins Roger Sorensen (1962), Chuck Johnson (1973), Tim Ainley (1977), and Jeff Ludwig (1989) as the only Warriors to earn All-American honors.
“It is a great recognition for our program and our college,” said Ruiz. “However, I would give all of the credit to Bryce. He made the personal choice to invest in himself and put in the extra time to grow as much as he did as a player. I am grateful to him for his service to the program and for adding another Warrior to the list of players who have received this honor.”
The Santa Barbara High alum, who was also named to the All-GSAC and GSAC Gold Glove Teams earlier this spring, hit .357 on the season and set two single season program records with eight triples and 138 total bases. He also had the second highest slugging percentage (.693), tied for third in RBI (59), sixth in home runs (12), tied for ninth for most at bats (199), tied for 10th most games played (53), tied for 11th most runs scored (46) and hits (71), and tied for 14th most doubles (15) ever by a Warrior in a single season. He led the team in runs scored, hits, home runs, RBI, OPS, and slugging percentage this season.
“This has certainly been one of the best offensive seasons I have seen in a player,” said Ruiz, who just finished his 10th season as Westmont’s head coach. “What I admire most is how much Bryce grew as a player. I have called him the self-made superstar. He is a four-year guy who progressively got better every year and never gave up on himself. This year was certainly his breakout year and it was a big one. He carried our team to a lot of victories this season and was a great leader on and off the field.”
Morison finishes his Westmont career with a .315 batting average, tied for second in program history in triples (10), tied for 11th in home runs (14), 12th in slugging percentage (.545), and tied for 15th in hit by pitches (19)