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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Avitia, Stankiewicz take big WAC awards
5/24/2022 1:00:00 PM | Baseball
GCU righty wins pitcher, freshman of year; Stankiewicz gets 4th coach-of-year honor
Grand Canyon led All-WAC recognition for the fourth straight season with 12 awards, headlined by Daniel Avitia being named the WAC Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year and Lopes head coach Andy Stankiewicz earning WAC Coach of the Year for the fourth time.
In addition to the three major awards, GCU landed a conference-high six players on the All-WAC first team, one on the All-WAC second team and two on the All-WAC Defensive Team.
GCU retained major awards with Avitia as Pitcher of the Year and Stankiewicz as Coach of the Year.
Selections are based on conference play, where Avitia had 14 more strikeouts than any other WAC pitcher and featured the only opposing batting average under .200 at .196. He was the only pitcher with seven conference wins and finished second in ERA with a mark of 2.69.
Stankiewicz led GCU to a WAC regular-season title for the fifth time, and the 11th-year Lopes head coach earned his fourth WAC Coach of the Year honor.
The Lopes captured six of the 14 potential spots on the first team: Avitia (starting pitcher), Juan Colato (third base), Jacob Wilson (shortstop), Tayler Aguilar (outfielder), Tyler Wilson (at large) and Vince Reilly (at large).
Starting pitcher Nick Hull landed on the second team as an at-large selection.
Two more Lopes earned spots on the new WAC All-Defensive Team: outfielder Cade Verdusco and shortstop Jacob Wilson.Daniel Avitia, WAC Pitcher of the Year, WAC Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-WAC (Starting Pitcher)
Avitia started the year in relief but his success quickly forced him into the starting rotation by the time WAC play rolled around. The Phoenix native struck out 80 batters during WAC play, leading the conference. He also led in the major categories of wins (7) and opponent batting average (.196). Avitia logged 14 strikeouts against Sacramento State on May 7, the most in a conference game by a WAC pitcher this season.
Andy Stankiewicz, WAC Coach of the Year
Stankiewicz repeated as the conference's coach of the year, winning the award for the fourth time in his nine seasons in the conference. Stankiewicz led GCU to its fifth WAC regular-season title and has built the Lopes into a top-25 program this season.
Juan Colato, First-Team All-WAC (Third Baseman)
Colato was among the WAC's top 10 in batting average, slugging percentage and runs scored after hitting .417 with six home runs and 29 RBIs in WAC play alone.  Colato continues a tradition of five straight first-team selections at third base by a GCU player, joining Tyler Wyatt (2017 and 2019), Zach Malis (2018) and Jacob Wilson (2021).
Jacob Wilson, First-Team All-WAC (Shortstop), All-Defensive Team
Wilson held down the everyday shortstop role for the Lopes and was rewarded with both first-team honors and all-defensive team recognition. The Golden Spikes Award semifinalist ranked in the conference's top 10 in batting average, on-base percentage, hits and RBIs. He earned national recognition for a stellar week in late March where he won numerous National Hitter of the Week accolades.
Tayler Aguilar, First-Team All-WAC (Outfielder)
Aguilar became GCU's Division I record holder for home runs when he hit his 20th of the season in GCU's regular-season finale victory over Seattle U. Aguilar ranks fifth in the WAC in slugging (.684), second in RBIs (39) and tied for third with 11 home runs in conference action.
Tyler Wilson, First-Team All-WAC (At Large, Catcher)
Wilson's .398 batting average was tied for sixth in the conference during WAC play. He split his time between first base and catcher with a couple of starts in left field. He had a 5-for-5 day at Dixie State on April 9 and a 4-for-5 day against New Mexico State on May 14 as part of his impressive conference campaign.
Vince Reilly, First-Team All-WAC (At Large, Relief Pitcher)
Reilly was tied for the WAC lead with nine saves during conference play. He broke GCU's D-I record with 13 saves on the season, surpassing Frankie Scalzo's mark of 12 saves set last year. He made 15 appearances in conference play.
Nick Hull, Second-Team All-WAC (At Large, Starting Pitcher)
Hull served as GCU's series-opening starter for the season. He was one win behind Avitia with six conference victories and ranked third in the conference with 65 strikeouts. Hull racked up 60 1/3 innings of work in conference play and was not saddled with any losing decisions.
Cade Verdusco, All-Defensive Team
Verdusco was honored as one of the conference's top defensive outfielders, playing in both left field and center field for GCU. His solid defensive play during conference action was honored by the WAC's coaches, but some of his most notable plays came during nonconference play. He threw out a Texas Tech runner trying to stretch a single into a double to cap off the Lopes sweep of the Red Raiders. He also made an impressive catch at the wall in a game at Arizona on May 3.
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In addition to the three major awards, GCU landed a conference-high six players on the All-WAC first team, one on the All-WAC second team and two on the All-WAC Defensive Team.
GCU retained major awards with Avitia as Pitcher of the Year and Stankiewicz as Coach of the Year.
Selections are based on conference play, where Avitia had 14 more strikeouts than any other WAC pitcher and featured the only opposing batting average under .200 at .196. He was the only pitcher with seven conference wins and finished second in ERA with a mark of 2.69.
Stankiewicz led GCU to a WAC regular-season title for the fifth time, and the 11th-year Lopes head coach earned his fourth WAC Coach of the Year honor.
The Lopes captured six of the 14 potential spots on the first team: Avitia (starting pitcher), Juan Colato (third base), Jacob Wilson (shortstop), Tayler Aguilar (outfielder), Tyler Wilson (at large) and Vince Reilly (at large).
Starting pitcher Nick Hull landed on the second team as an at-large selection.
Two more Lopes earned spots on the new WAC All-Defensive Team: outfielder Cade Verdusco and shortstop Jacob Wilson.
Daniel Avitia, WAC Pitcher of the Year, WAC Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-WAC (Starting Pitcher)
Avitia started the year in relief but his success quickly forced him into the starting rotation by the time WAC play rolled around. The Phoenix native struck out 80 batters during WAC play, leading the conference. He also led in the major categories of wins (7) and opponent batting average (.196). Avitia logged 14 strikeouts against Sacramento State on May 7, the most in a conference game by a WAC pitcher this season.
Andy Stankiewicz, WAC Coach of the Year
Stankiewicz repeated as the conference's coach of the year, winning the award for the fourth time in his nine seasons in the conference. Stankiewicz led GCU to its fifth WAC regular-season title and has built the Lopes into a top-25 program this season.
Juan Colato, First-Team All-WAC (Third Baseman)
Colato was among the WAC's top 10 in batting average, slugging percentage and runs scored after hitting .417 with six home runs and 29 RBIs in WAC play alone.  Colato continues a tradition of five straight first-team selections at third base by a GCU player, joining Tyler Wyatt (2017 and 2019), Zach Malis (2018) and Jacob Wilson (2021).
Jacob Wilson, First-Team All-WAC (Shortstop), All-Defensive Team
Wilson held down the everyday shortstop role for the Lopes and was rewarded with both first-team honors and all-defensive team recognition. The Golden Spikes Award semifinalist ranked in the conference's top 10 in batting average, on-base percentage, hits and RBIs. He earned national recognition for a stellar week in late March where he won numerous National Hitter of the Week accolades.
Tayler Aguilar, First-Team All-WAC (Outfielder)
Aguilar became GCU's Division I record holder for home runs when he hit his 20th of the season in GCU's regular-season finale victory over Seattle U. Aguilar ranks fifth in the WAC in slugging (.684), second in RBIs (39) and tied for third with 11 home runs in conference action.
Tyler Wilson, First-Team All-WAC (At Large, Catcher)
Wilson's .398 batting average was tied for sixth in the conference during WAC play. He split his time between first base and catcher with a couple of starts in left field. He had a 5-for-5 day at Dixie State on April 9 and a 4-for-5 day against New Mexico State on May 14 as part of his impressive conference campaign.
Vince Reilly, First-Team All-WAC (At Large, Relief Pitcher)
Reilly was tied for the WAC lead with nine saves during conference play. He broke GCU's D-I record with 13 saves on the season, surpassing Frankie Scalzo's mark of 12 saves set last year. He made 15 appearances in conference play.
Nick Hull, Second-Team All-WAC (At Large, Starting Pitcher)
Hull served as GCU's series-opening starter for the season. He was one win behind Avitia with six conference victories and ranked third in the conference with 65 strikeouts. Hull racked up 60 1/3 innings of work in conference play and was not saddled with any losing decisions.
Cade Verdusco, All-Defensive Team
Verdusco was honored as one of the conference's top defensive outfielders, playing in both left field and center field for GCU. His solid defensive play during conference action was honored by the WAC's coaches, but some of his most notable plays came during nonconference play. He threw out a Texas Tech runner trying to stretch a single into a double to cap off the Lopes sweep of the Red Raiders. He also made an impressive catch at the wall in a game at Arizona on May 3.Â
Major WAC awards |
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| Award | Player | School |
| Player of the Year | Carlos Contreras | Sam Houston |
| Pitcher of the Year | Daniel Avitia | Grand Canyon |
| Freshman of the Year | Daniel Avitia | Grand Canyon |
| Coach of the Year | Andy Stankiewicz | Grand Canyon |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Harrison Spohn | California Baptist |
Players Mentioned
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