June 1, 2011
SAN BRUNO, Calif. -
Complete List of 2011 All-WCC Teams
Juniors Alex Gillingham and Matt Koch highlighted LMU's five baseball All-West Coast Conference selections, claiming first team honors on Wednesday. Sophomores Aaron Griffin and Matt Lowenstein, along with senior Joe Vierra, were named to the honorable mention team. The honors are the first of their careers for Gillingham, Griffin, Koch and Vierra. Lowenstein garnered WCC Freshman of the Year accolades last year en route to an honorable mention selection a year ago.
The West Coast Conference also announced its 2011 individual award winners, as voted on by the league's eight head coaches. Two freshmen in particular made a significant impact in their debut campaign: San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant and Gonzaga pitcher/first baseman Marco Gonzales were each recognized as the 2011 West Coast Conference Co-Player and Co-Freshman of the Year. Gonzales was not the only Gonzaga player to earn a major award, as junior Ryan Carpenter earns Pitcher of the Year honors. After winning the 2011 WCC championship, San Francisco third baseman Stephen Yarrow is the WCC Defensive Player of the Year, and Dons' head coach Nino Giarratano was recognized as the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year.
Bryant started all 21 games during conference play for the Toreros, while leading the WCC with a .410 batting average, .525 on-base percentage, 26 runs scored, and eleven doubles. For the season, Bryant led the WCC with a .365 batting average. His nine overall home runs were tied for most in the conference.
On the mound, Gonzales led the West Coast Conference with 11 victories, while posting a 2.57 earned run average. In seven conference starts, Gonzales went 6-0 while limiting WCC foes to a .222 batting average against. When he wasn't on the hill, Gonzales was the Bulldogs' first baseman - where he hit .315 during WCC play.
The Gonzaga pitching staff led the West Coast Conference in earned run average, and Carpenter was named the WCC Pitcher of the Year. The Bulldogs junior was 5-1 with a 2.19 earned run average in seven conference starts, striking out a league-best 58 batters. For the season, Carpenter's 107 strikeouts over 96 innings ranks among the national top-10.
As the Dons' starting third baseman, Yarrow played error-free baseball in 58 chances during conference play. Yarrow was a part of five double plays from the hot corner in WCC action, while helping USF lead the nation in fielding percentage.
After leading his team to its first West Coast Conference title since 2006, Giarratano has been named the 2011 WCC Coach of the Year by his peers. It is the third such honor for Giarratano, who was recognized as the league's top skipper in both 2006 and 2005. After being picked to finish third in the coaches' pre-season poll, the 2011 Dons won 31 games, while posting a 16-5 conference mark.
On the Lion front, Gillingham finished the year with a team-best 2.49 ERA and an 8-4 record. The ERA was the best amongst starting pitchers in the WCC. The right-hander tossed a team and WCC-high 112 innings en route to four complete games. A native of Thousand Oaks, Calif., Gillingham struck out 78 hitters while holding opponents to a .247 batting average against. Gillingham was a workhorse throughout the year, tossing at least seven innings in 13 of his 14 starts, including eight or more in 11 of the 14. In addition, two of his four losses came in complete game efforts, as he received a combined five runs of support in the four losses.
Koch batted .313 with 30 runs scored, 22 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 39 RBI over the course of the 2011 season. The 22 doubles, which ranked second in the conference, placed tied for eighth in the LMU single-season record book, while his .483 slugging percentage placed eighth in the WCC this year. In conference play alone, Koch hit .321 with 12 runs scored, six doubles, a homer and a triple. He slugged .457 against conference foes, driving in 13 runs.
Griffin emerged as a dominant Sunday starter over the course of the year, finishing the season with a 7-3 record and a 2.99 ERA over nine starts and 19 appearances. He dealt a pair of complete games, including one complete-game shutout, en route to 72.1 innings of work on the hill. The right-hander from El Cajon, Calif. struck out 47 hitters while holding opponents to a .264 batting average against. In his nine starts alone, Griffin sported a 2.89 ERA and a 4-2 record.
Lowenstein was the most consistent hitter over the course of the year for LMU, batting .349 with 32 runs scored, nine doubles, a triple and 21 RBI. He drew a team-best 30 walks and stole nine bases. The left-handed hitter recorded 19 multi-hit games, just three short of the team-high recorded by Koch. A native of Chino Hills, Calif., Lowenstein hit safely in 13 straight games this year from March 19 to April 16, and was held hitless just nine times in 50 games played.
Vierra got hot during conference play, batting .315 with 11 runs scored, two doubles, a triple, three home runs and 14 RBI against West Coast Conference foes. He slugged a team-best .493 and reached at a .402 clip in conference play, helping LMU to a third-place finish in the WCC. Overall on the year, Vierra batted .259 with four home runs and 17 RBI.
