Baseball lands 6 on All-SCIAC teams

Baseball lands 6 on All-SCIAC teams

LA VERNE, Calif. — The 2018 SCIAC Champion University of La Verne baseball team landed six athletes on the All-SCIAC teams and earned SCIAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced Thursday afternoon.

Jakob Thomas, Nicholas Michaels, Christopher Ligot, and Christopher Peres each garnered first team honors and Adam Santa Cruz and Brandon Vogel both made the second team.

Thomas earns First Team All-SCIAC honors for the third year in a row. The Leopards designated hitter ranked second on the squad with a .365 batting average and tied for first with four home runs. He also ranked second with 49 runs and four triples. He finished the regular season with 46 hits, 32 RBI, and 14 doubles. 

Michaels had a standout regular season offensively for the Leopards. The senior first baseman led the SCIAC with 49 RBI, nine more than the next best player, and ranked second in the conference with 60 hits. He also tied for first in the SCIAC with five triples, and ranked third with 17 doubles. He currently sports a .351 batting average.

Ligot earns All-SCIAC honors for the first time in his career. The junior outfielder was outstanding at the plate, ranking in the top five on his squad in batting average (.362), RBI (22), hits (42), runs (27), doubles (9), and triples (2).

Peres earns first team honors in back-to-back years. The junior did it all for the Leopards, contributing as a steady bat, reliever, and outfielder. On the mound, Peres led the conference with nine saves and also added two wins. He struck out 49 batters in 38 and a third innings of work. Offensively, Peres batted .342 with 16 RBI, 27 hits, and 19 runs.

Santa Cruz left an impression in the conference in his first season with the Leopards. The Victor Valley College transfer led the SCIAC with a .406 batting average while adding 39 hits and 18 RBI. Behind the plate, the catcher threw out 12 runners.

Vogel had the best season of his career during his junior season. The outfielder ranked second on La Verne squad with 48 hits and 37 RBI to go with a .327 batting average with 29 runs.

Head Coach Scott Winterburn and his staff of Associate Head Coach Gabe Miranda, assistant coaches Mason Stoltenberg and Sean Fasig, and graduate assistant Matt Caselli earned SCIAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors after leading their squad to a SCIAC Championship and No. 1 seed in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament.

The Leopards open up the SCIAC Tournament tomorrow at Ben Hines Field at 3 p.m. against No. 4 Pomona-Pitzer.

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