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GCU leads with 7 All-WAC picks
5/21/2019 9:00:00 AM | Baseball
Ohl earns billing as league's top freshman; Wyatt, Mechals named to 1st team
Grand Canyon led all WAC teams with seven individuals earning all-conference recognition on Tuesday.
Freshman pitcher Pierson Ohl was named WAC Freshman of the Year, while junior pitcher Kade Mechals and senior third baseman Tyler Wyatt earned first-team honors. For Wyatt, it was his third consecutive season on the first team.
The Lopes had four individuals honored with second-team All-WAC status, including an outfield sweep of juniors Quin Cotton and Kona Quiggle and senior Preston Pavlica. Sophomore first baseman Cuba Bess also landed on the second team.
Ohl became the first GCU player to earn the top freshman distinction since outfielder Garrison Schwartz in 2015. With his third consecutive first-team honor, Wyatt joined an exclusive list of only four players to be selected to three straight All-WAC first teams in the past decade.
Right behind the Lopes with six honorees was New Mexico State. Aggies' junior shortstop Joey Ortiz was the WAC Player of the Year, hitting .426 and leading the conference in hits, doubles and total bases. California Baptist's junior pitcher Logan Rinehart was named WAC Pitcher of the Year after posting eight victories. UT Rio Grande Valley head coach Derek Matlock was named WAC Coach of the Year after leading the Vaqueros from a seventh-place finish a year ago to a share of the WAC regular-season title this year.
A Simi Valley, Calif., native, Ohl finished conference play with a sparkling 2.37 ERA, the second-best mark in the conference. The right-hander only improved as the season progressed, posting a 1.80 in his final four starts in WAC play. Ohl tossed a complete game at Chicago State on April 26, limiting the Cougars to just one run. In the final regular-season series, he tossed 6 2/3 innings and did not allow an earned run against Sacramento State. The freshman finished second with 57 innings pitched and led the conference with only 1.58 walks per game.
Mechals was the anchor of GCU's starting pitching rotation all season, culminating with the first-team selection in his first year at the Division I level. With a 2.63 ERA in WAC play, Mechals ranked third in the conference. He ranked in the league's top five in numerous categories, including opponent average (.216), strikeouts (51) and wins (6). The McMinnville, Ore., native had three scoreless starts in conference play, highlighted by facing one batter over the minimum in a win at Chicago State on April 28 to earn WAC Pitcher of the Week.
Wyatt plays elite defense at the hot corner and joined the likes of Hawaii's Kolten Wong as three-time All-WAC first-teamers. The Peoria, Ariz., native hit .296 in conference but had 12 extra-base hits and 22 RBIs. Wyatt drew 15 walks during WAC play and put an exclamation on his home career with his first career grand slam against Northern Colorado on May 12. The infielder started all 27 conference games, running his mark of career games played to 201, which ranks second in the Lopes' Division I history. Wyatt swiped seven bases which was a top-five mark in the WAC.
Bess returned from a redshirt season to make his mark on the club and earn second-team honors. Manning first base, Bess was a part of a conference-leading 21 double plays. He tied teammates Quiggle and Cotton for third-most doubles in WAC play with nine. The Fruita, Colo., product hit .333 during conference action with four home runs and 17 RBIs. Bess hit a key go-ahead double on May 16 in a win against Sacramento State and ended conference play with GCU's first five-hit game of the season.
Holding down an everyday role in the outfield for the first time, Quiggle was one of three GCU outfielders that took over the All-WAC second team. The Phoenix native hit .308 during WAC play and led the team by scoring 24 times. Quiggle tied for third with nine doubles and also hit four home runs. He tied for the team lead with 24 RBIs during conference.
For his senior season, Pavlica's bat caught up to his plus defending with his first All-WAC selection of his career. The everyday center fielder was GCU's top batter in conference action, leading the Lopes in doubles (10), triples (four), home runs (six), RBIs (24), total bases (68), slugging percentage (.731), walks drawn (17), on-base percentage (.457) and stolen bases (10). Pavlica also led the conference in stolen bases and triples while ranking third in slugging percentage. He made several defensive gems in center field and did not commit an error.
No longer an unknown in the conference, Cotton, the reigning WAC Player of the Year, put together a solid follow-up campaign to earn a spot on the second team. With the Lopes' top batting average in conference play (.351), Cotton's 39 hits ranked sixth in the conference. His nine doubles tied for third in the conference. Headlined by a four-hit effort in the home finale, Cotton had six games with at least three hits during conference play.
GCU, the conference's No. 4 seed, helps lift the lid on the WAC Tournament with a Wednesday game against No. 5 CSU Bakersfield. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. from Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz.
Freshman pitcher Pierson Ohl was named WAC Freshman of the Year, while junior pitcher Kade Mechals and senior third baseman Tyler Wyatt earned first-team honors. For Wyatt, it was his third consecutive season on the first team.
The Lopes had four individuals honored with second-team All-WAC status, including an outfield sweep of juniors Quin Cotton and Kona Quiggle and senior Preston Pavlica. Sophomore first baseman Cuba Bess also landed on the second team.
Ohl became the first GCU player to earn the top freshman distinction since outfielder Garrison Schwartz in 2015. With his third consecutive first-team honor, Wyatt joined an exclusive list of only four players to be selected to three straight All-WAC first teams in the past decade.
Right behind the Lopes with six honorees was New Mexico State. Aggies' junior shortstop Joey Ortiz was the WAC Player of the Year, hitting .426 and leading the conference in hits, doubles and total bases. California Baptist's junior pitcher Logan Rinehart was named WAC Pitcher of the Year after posting eight victories. UT Rio Grande Valley head coach Derek Matlock was named WAC Coach of the Year after leading the Vaqueros from a seventh-place finish a year ago to a share of the WAC regular-season title this year.
A Simi Valley, Calif., native, Ohl finished conference play with a sparkling 2.37 ERA, the second-best mark in the conference. The right-hander only improved as the season progressed, posting a 1.80 in his final four starts in WAC play. Ohl tossed a complete game at Chicago State on April 26, limiting the Cougars to just one run. In the final regular-season series, he tossed 6 2/3 innings and did not allow an earned run against Sacramento State. The freshman finished second with 57 innings pitched and led the conference with only 1.58 walks per game.
Mechals was the anchor of GCU's starting pitching rotation all season, culminating with the first-team selection in his first year at the Division I level. With a 2.63 ERA in WAC play, Mechals ranked third in the conference. He ranked in the league's top five in numerous categories, including opponent average (.216), strikeouts (51) and wins (6). The McMinnville, Ore., native had three scoreless starts in conference play, highlighted by facing one batter over the minimum in a win at Chicago State on April 28 to earn WAC Pitcher of the Week.
Wyatt plays elite defense at the hot corner and joined the likes of Hawaii's Kolten Wong as three-time All-WAC first-teamers. The Peoria, Ariz., native hit .296 in conference but had 12 extra-base hits and 22 RBIs. Wyatt drew 15 walks during WAC play and put an exclamation on his home career with his first career grand slam against Northern Colorado on May 12. The infielder started all 27 conference games, running his mark of career games played to 201, which ranks second in the Lopes' Division I history. Wyatt swiped seven bases which was a top-five mark in the WAC.
Bess returned from a redshirt season to make his mark on the club and earn second-team honors. Manning first base, Bess was a part of a conference-leading 21 double plays. He tied teammates Quiggle and Cotton for third-most doubles in WAC play with nine. The Fruita, Colo., product hit .333 during conference action with four home runs and 17 RBIs. Bess hit a key go-ahead double on May 16 in a win against Sacramento State and ended conference play with GCU's first five-hit game of the season.
Holding down an everyday role in the outfield for the first time, Quiggle was one of three GCU outfielders that took over the All-WAC second team. The Phoenix native hit .308 during WAC play and led the team by scoring 24 times. Quiggle tied for third with nine doubles and also hit four home runs. He tied for the team lead with 24 RBIs during conference.
For his senior season, Pavlica's bat caught up to his plus defending with his first All-WAC selection of his career. The everyday center fielder was GCU's top batter in conference action, leading the Lopes in doubles (10), triples (four), home runs (six), RBIs (24), total bases (68), slugging percentage (.731), walks drawn (17), on-base percentage (.457) and stolen bases (10). Pavlica also led the conference in stolen bases and triples while ranking third in slugging percentage. He made several defensive gems in center field and did not commit an error.
No longer an unknown in the conference, Cotton, the reigning WAC Player of the Year, put together a solid follow-up campaign to earn a spot on the second team. With the Lopes' top batting average in conference play (.351), Cotton's 39 hits ranked sixth in the conference. His nine doubles tied for third in the conference. Headlined by a four-hit effort in the home finale, Cotton had six games with at least three hits during conference play.
GCU, the conference's No. 4 seed, helps lift the lid on the WAC Tournament with a Wednesday game against No. 5 CSU Bakersfield. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. from Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz.
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