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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Colato lauded as preseason All-American
12/22/2020 2:48:00 PM | Baseball
WAC's reigning hits leader earns spot among nation's best
Grand Canyon is home to a preseason All-American for the second straight year with junior utilityman Juan Colato earning the distinction on Collegiate Baseball's list.
As with pitcher Kade Mechals and first baseman Cuba Bess one year ago, Colato's status as a third-team All-American places him among the nation's 81 top players.
Colato's stock has risen swiftly with only 18 Division I games under his belt. He made an immediate impact on GCU's lineup in the shortened season after transferring from the junior college ranks.
The San Salvador, El Salvador, native started every game last season and led the team with a .367 batting average, five doubles, five home runs and six stolen bases. Colato ranked sixth nationally with a WAC-best 29 hits while ranking eighth nationally with 49 total bases.
Colato wasted no time easing into D-I baseball, logging back-to-back three-hit games to open his Lopes career, including three RBIs in an opening-night win over No. 22 Oklahoma State. A few weekends later, the switch-hitter collected nine hits over a weekend series at Stanford, highlighted Feb. 29 by a 5-for-5 day that was the fifth by a GCU player since the return to D-I in 2014.
It wasn't just hitting for average either, as Colato flashed the power early in the season. He homered five times, the highest rate of home runs per game at GCU since 1996. That mark included three home runs in the first two games of a weekend series against Pacific on March 6-7.
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As with pitcher Kade Mechals and first baseman Cuba Bess one year ago, Colato's status as a third-team All-American places him among the nation's 81 top players.
Colato's stock has risen swiftly with only 18 Division I games under his belt. He made an immediate impact on GCU's lineup in the shortened season after transferring from the junior college ranks.
The San Salvador, El Salvador, native started every game last season and led the team with a .367 batting average, five doubles, five home runs and six stolen bases. Colato ranked sixth nationally with a WAC-best 29 hits while ranking eighth nationally with 49 total bases.
Colato wasted no time easing into D-I baseball, logging back-to-back three-hit games to open his Lopes career, including three RBIs in an opening-night win over No. 22 Oklahoma State. A few weekends later, the switch-hitter collected nine hits over a weekend series at Stanford, highlighted Feb. 29 by a 5-for-5 day that was the fifth by a GCU player since the return to D-I in 2014.
It wasn't just hitting for average either, as Colato flashed the power early in the season. He homered five times, the highest rate of home runs per game at GCU since 1996. That mark included three home runs in the first two games of a weekend series against Pacific on March 6-7.
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