The American Baseball Coaches Association announced its 2023 ABCA/Rawlings All-Region teams on Tuesday, with UC Santa Barbara’s Matt Ager and Hudson Barrett each featuring on All-West Region squads.
Barrett made the All-Region First Team as a reliever, while Ager was one of three starting pitchers on the All-Region Second Team. Both pitchers will be attending USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team Training Camp later in June and can add their All-Region selections to growing lists of honors.
Barrett has already been named a Freshman All-American twice after his stellar rookie campaign, earning the distinction from Collegiate Baseball News and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. The lefty from Bakersfield led all qualified Division-I rookies with a 1.92 ERA this season and led all freshman relievers with 82 strikeouts, ranking fifth and third among all qualified pitchers during the regular season, respectively. In his 17 appearances out of the bullpen, He allowed just three runs in 40 innings for a 0.68 ERA as a reliever. He was named Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year and selected to the All-Big West First Team.
Ager joined Barrett as a First Team all-conference selection in what was his first season in a starting role. He took up the mantle of UC Santa Barbara’s Friday starter and ace, pitching 92 1/3 innings in 15 games with a 3.12 ERA. His 115 strikeouts ranked tenth in Division I. The sophomore worked eleven quality starts — six or more innings pitched with three or fewer runs allowed — on the year, including eight of his first ten. He was twice named Big West Pitcher of the Week.
The ABCA will announce their All-America selections on Friday, June 16 and their National Pitcher and Player of the Year selections on June 26. As a First Team All-West Region member, Barrett is eligible to be selected as an All-American, as are the first teamers from the ABCA’s other seven regions.