BACK-TO-BACK AGAIN
5/3/2011 12:09:00 AM | Baseball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- Just two days after clinching its second straight Golden State Athletic Conference baseball title, California Baptist University made it another back-to-back Monday.
For the second year in a row, the Lancers grabbed the GSAC's top postseason honors as Brian Sharp, Taylor Siemens and Gary Adcock were named GSAC Player, Pitcher and Coach of the Year, respectively as the conference announced the 2011 All-GSAC Baseball Team.
Matt Marnati and Kevin Odom were also named to the team. It's Marnati's second straight honor as well. Cole Bullard and Sharif Othman earned GSAC Gold Glove recognition.
For Sharp, it is his second straight Player of the Year award, becoming the first player in program history to earn the honor in consecutive years. He is the third player in conference history to earn it twice but the first-ever to do it in consecutive seasons. Biola's Ben Orr (1998 and 2001) and Azusa Pacific's Stephen Vogt (2005 and 2007) both won it twice.
He was third in the conference, hitting .367 and led the league with 72 hits. He also ranked in the GSAC's top five in runs (2nd-47), RBI (4th-44), doubles (3rd-16), total bases (2nd-117) and stolen bases (2nd-31). He is the program's all-time leader with 89 stolen bases, 35 ahead of second place.
Siemens, meanwhile, is the third Lancer ever to earn GSAC Pitcher of the Year honors, joining Aaron Hartsock (2006) and Drew Madrigal (2010).
The lefty led the GSAC at 9-1 and was sixth in the league with a 2.87 ERA. He also led the GSAC with 88 strikeouts in 97.1 innings pitched. With his ninth win of the year last week against Point Loma Nazarene, Siemens picked up his 26th career win, tying him with Steve Goins for the program's career record. He is also second with 238 career strikeouts.
Both Siemens and Sharp were named 2011 NAIA Preseason All-Americans.
Marnati finished the regular season hitting .326 to go along with 36 runs, 33 RBI and 14 doubles. He also had 13 stolen bases and drew a team-best 20 walks. Odom hit .340 with nine doubles, seven home runs, 42 runs, 36 RBI and 11 stolen bases.
Adcock earned his third career GSAC Coach of the Year honor after leading the Lancers to their third conference crown in six years. He is the program's all-time winningest coach with a career record of 279-146 in eight seasons at the helm.
Bullard played sparkling defense at second base all season, committing just five errors in 239 chances, good for a .979 fielding percentage. Othman won his second straight Gold Glove, recording a .982 fielding percentage and throwing out 21 of 51 would-be basestealers.
The Lancers begin play in the GSAC Postseason Tournament Tuesday at 9 a.m. against Azusa Pacific. They are looking for their second straight tournament title as well.
