OMAHA, Neb. – UC Santa Barbara junior right-hander Shane Bieber has been named to the NCAA Div. I West All-Region First Team, it was announced on Wednesday by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).
One of three starting pitchers on the first team, Bieber was joined by Big West rival Darren McCaughan of Long Beach State as well as Pepperdine ace A.J. Puckett.
On the season, Bieber has an impressive 12-3 record to go along with a 2.84 ERA. In two postseason starts, he is 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA.
His 12 wins are fourth-most among NCAA pitchers and rank second all-time in UCSB single-season history, while his 103 strikeouts are the seventh-most by a Gaucho pitcher in one year.
A fourth round pick by the Cleveland Indians in the 2016 MLB First Year Player Draft, Bieber was also selected to the All-Big West First Team.
He was named the conference Pitcher of the Week on Apr. 18 after posting a four-hit shutout of Cal State Northridge, one of his league-leading four complete games on the year.
One of the premier control pitchers in college baseball, Bieber has issued just 16 walks in 126 2/3 innings for a rate of 1.14 per nine innings that ranks 14th in the country. He finished the 2015 in the top-10 for walks per nine at 1.08.
A three-year member of the weekend rotation, Bieber has had one of the most productive careers in school history, accruing 23 wins (third-most), 231 strikeouts (second-most), and 292 innings (eighth-most). He has allowed just 38 free passes in his entire career, a rate of 1.17 per game.
The ABCA All-America committee is chaired by Dean Ehehalt of Monmouth University and also includes head coaches Mike Stone (Massachusetts), Brian O’Connor (Virginia), Tim Corbin (Vanderbilt), Steve Jaksa (Central Michigan), Dan Heefner (Dallas Baptist), Tommy Raffo (Arkansas State) and George Horton (Oregon).