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Schwartz, Stankiewicz highlight All-WAC Awards
5/23/2017 5:45:00 PM | Baseball
MESA, Ariz. - Junior outfielder Garrison Schwartz was named Player of the Year and head coach Andy Stankiewicz was named Coach of the Year, the Western Athletic Conference announced on Tuesday evening. The Lopes were also well represented on the All-WAC first team with Ian Evans (first base), Tyler Wyatt (third base), Schwartz (outfield), Tom Lerouge (outfield) and AJ Franks (relief pitcher) being named to the team.
Grand Canyon, the 2017 WAC Regular Season Champions, had more individuals recognized on the first team than any other member of the nine-team conference.
"It's exciting to be recognized by your peers in the conference," Stankiewicz said. "We have a lot of great teams and great players in our conference, so to see our guys be named to the All-Conference team is a really cool deal. For Garrison to get the Player of the Year honors – it's a big deal. These things don't come unless we play baseball as a team. The guys who received the awards understand that."
Schwartz, who was the preseason pick for WAC Player of the Year, posted a .384 batting average during conference play and was one of the most well-rounded players in the league. He paced the WAC in doubles (12) and on-base percentage (.491), was tied for third in RBIs (32) and also had top-five marks in home runs (5) and slugging percentage (.698). The outfielder added another accolade to his already-impressive resume that also includes 2015 Freshman of the Year, 2015 second team All-WAC, and 2016 first team All-WAC.
Although the 2017 season marked the second WAC title won under Stankiewicz, the Lopes' skipper won the conference's Coach of the Year honor for the first time. Under his direction, Grand Canyon -- who was picked to finish fourth in the conference -- posted a 20-4 record in WAC play, the best the conference has seen since 2003. Stankiewicz improved his conference record to 71-33 in his four seasons in the WAC.
In his first year with GCU, Evans was recognized as the conference's top first baseman. He finished WAC play batting .374, a top-10 mark in the conference. Evans slugged .593 with 30 RBIs and eight doubles in conference play alone. He was named WAC Hitter of the Week after an impressive series at New Mexico State in late April which included a four-hit, two-homer game in GCU's sweep.
Wyatt spent time in both left field and at third base, and was named to the conference's first team for his play at third. The sophomore raised his conference batting average from .263 as a freshman to .377 this season. His batting average (.377) and on-base percentage (.463) were both top-10 marks in the conference. Wyatt began WAC play on a tear, posting three-hit efforts in four of the first six conference games.
After going under the radar with identical .342 batting averages as a freshman and sophomore, Lerouge finally landed himself a spot in the conference awards, and it came in the form of first team recognition. The junior posted the second-best batting average in the WAC at .419 and was third in the conference with 39 hits in conference play. The outfielder now has 188 career hits which ranks fifth among GCU's Division I career leaderboards.
Franks posted the conference's top ERA at 0.56 and was a mainstay in GCU's bullpen. In 32.1 innings of relief over 17 appearances, the Lopes' lone senior walked just four while striking out 24. The nearest qualifying WAC pitcher posted a 2.09 ERA. Franks with 3-0 with one save in conference action.
Members of the Lopes who were in attendance for the WAC Awards Reception also accepted the 2017 WAC Regular Season Championship trophy. The reception was held at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, the site of this year's WAC Tournament. The Lopes will be eligible to compete in the tournament next season.
Grand Canyon, the 2017 WAC Regular Season Champions, had more individuals recognized on the first team than any other member of the nine-team conference.
"It's exciting to be recognized by your peers in the conference," Stankiewicz said. "We have a lot of great teams and great players in our conference, so to see our guys be named to the All-Conference team is a really cool deal. For Garrison to get the Player of the Year honors – it's a big deal. These things don't come unless we play baseball as a team. The guys who received the awards understand that."
Schwartz, who was the preseason pick for WAC Player of the Year, posted a .384 batting average during conference play and was one of the most well-rounded players in the league. He paced the WAC in doubles (12) and on-base percentage (.491), was tied for third in RBIs (32) and also had top-five marks in home runs (5) and slugging percentage (.698). The outfielder added another accolade to his already-impressive resume that also includes 2015 Freshman of the Year, 2015 second team All-WAC, and 2016 first team All-WAC.
Although the 2017 season marked the second WAC title won under Stankiewicz, the Lopes' skipper won the conference's Coach of the Year honor for the first time. Under his direction, Grand Canyon -- who was picked to finish fourth in the conference -- posted a 20-4 record in WAC play, the best the conference has seen since 2003. Stankiewicz improved his conference record to 71-33 in his four seasons in the WAC.
In his first year with GCU, Evans was recognized as the conference's top first baseman. He finished WAC play batting .374, a top-10 mark in the conference. Evans slugged .593 with 30 RBIs and eight doubles in conference play alone. He was named WAC Hitter of the Week after an impressive series at New Mexico State in late April which included a four-hit, two-homer game in GCU's sweep.
Wyatt spent time in both left field and at third base, and was named to the conference's first team for his play at third. The sophomore raised his conference batting average from .263 as a freshman to .377 this season. His batting average (.377) and on-base percentage (.463) were both top-10 marks in the conference. Wyatt began WAC play on a tear, posting three-hit efforts in four of the first six conference games.
After going under the radar with identical .342 batting averages as a freshman and sophomore, Lerouge finally landed himself a spot in the conference awards, and it came in the form of first team recognition. The junior posted the second-best batting average in the WAC at .419 and was third in the conference with 39 hits in conference play. The outfielder now has 188 career hits which ranks fifth among GCU's Division I career leaderboards.
Franks posted the conference's top ERA at 0.56 and was a mainstay in GCU's bullpen. In 32.1 innings of relief over 17 appearances, the Lopes' lone senior walked just four while striking out 24. The nearest qualifying WAC pitcher posted a 2.09 ERA. Franks with 3-0 with one save in conference action.
Members of the Lopes who were in attendance for the WAC Awards Reception also accepted the 2017 WAC Regular Season Championship trophy. The reception was held at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, the site of this year's WAC Tournament. The Lopes will be eligible to compete in the tournament next season.
| 2017 Baseball Conference Awards | |
| Award | Player, School |
| Player of the Year | Garrison Schwartz, Jr., Grand Canyon |
| Pitcher of the Year | Max Carter, Sr., CSU Bakersfield |
| Freshman of the Year | Parker Brahms, Fr., Sacramento State |
| Coach of the Year | Andy Stankiewicz, Grand Canyon |
| 2017 First Team All-WAC | |
| Position | Player, Year, School |
| Catcher | Mason Fishback, Jr., New Mexico State |
| First Base | Ian Evans, Jr., Grand Canyon |
| Second Base | David Metzgar, Sr., CSU Bakersfield |
| Third Base | Tyler Wyatt, So., Grand Canyon |
| Shortstop | Ryan Grotjohn, Sr., CSU Bakersfield |
| Outfield | Garrison Schwartz, Jr., Grand Canyon |
| Outfield | Tom Lerouge, Jr., Grand Canyon |
| Outfield | Dan Hetzel, Sr., New Mexico State |
| At-Large | Ian Dawkins, Jr., Sacramento State |
| At-Large | LJ Hatch, Sr., New Mexico State |
| Starting Pitcher | Max Carter, Sr., CSU Bakersfield |
| Starting Pitcher | Parker Brahms, Fr., Sacramento State |
| Relief Pitcher | AJ Franks, Sr., Grand Canyon |
| At-Large | Kyle Bradish, So., New Mexico State |
| 2017 Second Team All-WAC | |
| Position | Player, Year, School |
| Catcher | Junior Felix, Sr., CSU Bakersfield |
| First Base | Tristen Carranza, So., New Mexico State |
| Second Base | Brent Sakurai, Sr., New Mexico State |
| Third Base | Mahlik Jones, Sr., CSU Bakersfield |
| Shortstop | Trent Goodrich, Sr., Sacramento State |
| Outfield | Aaron Stroosma, Sr., Seattle U |
| Outfield | Andrew Penner, Jr., CSU Bakersfield |
| Outfield | Zach Thomas, Jr., Chicago State |
| At-Large | Vinny Esposito, Jr., Sacramento State |
| At-Large | Jack Pauley, So., Northern Colorado |
| Starting Pitcher | Jonathan Groff, Jr., New Mexico State |
| Starting Pitcher | Carter Johnson, Jr., UT Rio Grande Valley |
| Relief Pitcher | Patrick Wolfe, Sr., Utah Valley |
| At-Large | Naithen Dewsnap, Jr., CSU Bakersfield |
Players Mentioned
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