Savage, Garcia Headline UCLA's Record Eight All-Pac-12 Honorees
May 29, 2019 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES โ John Savage was named the Coach of the Year, junior righty Ryan Garcia was selected as the Pitcher of the Year, and 11 members of the No. 1-ranked UCLA baseball team were honored on Wednesday as the Pac-12 Conference unveiled its 2019 postseason honors.
In addition to the superlative awards won by Savage and Garcia, eight Bruins were named to the All-Conference Team. That is by far the most of any league school (Stanford was next with five) and represents a new program record, besting the 1997 squad that had seven honorees.
Garcia, junior infielder Ryan Kreidler, sophomore outfielder Garrett Mitchell, sophomore closer Holden Powell, redshirt junior righty Jack Ralston, junior outfielder Jack Stronach, junior second baseman Chase Strumpf, and junior first baseman Michael Toglia each made the Pac-12 All-Conference Team as voted on by the league's 11 head coaches.
In addition, Mitchell was named to the All-Defensive Team, senior righty Nate Hadley received an all-league honorable mention, and freshman catcher Noah Cardenas earned an all-defensive honorable mention.
It was the second career All-Pac-12 honor for Toglia and Strumpf, who both made the all-league team as sophomores in 2018.
Savage led the Bruins to arguably their best regular season in school history this year, setting new program standards in regular season wins (47) and conference wins (24) while winning the 2019 Pac-12 Championship and logging the school's best winning percentage since 1924. This is the second time he's won the Pac-12 Coach of the Year Award, as he was also honored in 2015 after leading UCLA to the Pac-12 title. The Bruins have won the league four times in his tenure, which began in 2005.
Garcia established himself as one of the top starting pitchers in college baseball this year, posting a 9-0 record with a 1.42 ERA and a team-high 101 strikeouts in just 76 innings. He ranks top-10 nationally in ERA (sixth), WHIP (0.86, seventh), and hits allowed per nine innings (4.86, fourth). In league play, he ranked first in wins (eight), strikeouts (85), and batting average against (.159). He had several standout performances once re-joining the rotation in late March, including seven innings of one-hit ball against Arizona on Mar. 24, a complete game two-hit shutout against Utah on Apr. 26, and seven scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts against East Carolina on Apr. 13. His 14 punchouts against the Utes are the most by a Pac-12 pitcher this year and the most by a Bruin since Trevor Bauer on Jun. 4, 2011. The Sierra Madre, Calif. native is a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist.
Garcia is UCLA's fourth-ever Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year. David Berg took home the award in both 2013 and 2015 while Trevor Bauer was the Bruins' first-ever recipient in 2011 en route to winning the Golden Spikes Award.ย
Kreidler has put together a strong all-around season for UCLA, slashing .314/.387/.529 and playing lockdown defense at both spots on the left side of the infield. He leads the Bruins in doubles (17), is second in RBIs (41) and stolen bases (10), and third in home runs (eight).
Mitchell has had a breakout sophomore campaign, leading to an invitation to play with the United States Collegiate National Team this summer. He's put together a .360/.426/.579 slash line including six home runs and a league-high nine triples, one off the national lead and the UCLA school record. Mitchell was one of the driving forces of UCLA's late-season success, as he has batted .486 since Apr. 28. The Orange, Calif. native has played error free baseball in both right field and center field this season.
Powell has been one of the top closers in the country all season, leading to his No. 4 placement in D1Baseball's positional power rankings of relief pitchers. Powell paces the Pac-12 in both saves (16) and games finished (35), and is No. 2 all-time in UCLA's single season and career (22) saves lists. The Visalia, Calif. native had a 20-inning streak without allowing an earned run from Mar. 22 to May 5 and has been scored upon just twice in his last 22 outings dating back to Mar. 18. He's lowered his ERA from 4.76 to 2.03 in that span, and has 55 strikeouts in just 40 innings for a team-high 12.38 strikeouts per nine innings ratio.
Ralston has been one of the breakout stars of the 2019 Bruins, improving from a 1-4 record a 6.44 ERA in 2018 to an 11-0 record and 2.43 ERA as a weekend starter this year. His record is tied for the best in the country, and he's UCLA's first 10-game winner since James Kaprielian in 2015. The Newhall, Calif. native was especially hot down the stretch, putting together a 27-inning scoreless streak from Apr. 27 to May 23. He is one of eight starting pitchers vying for the Dick Howser Trophy, and has been named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week on two occasions this year.
Stronach was one of the hottest hitters in Pac-12 play, as he batted .383 against league opponents, good for third in the conference. He stepped up after an injury to Jeremy Ydens, taking over the left field spot and becoming a mainstay in the middle of the lineup. Stronach is batting .331 heading into the postseason.
Strumpf, a unanimous Preseason All-American, was a steadying force as the No. 3 hitter in the UCLA lineup, reaching base in 47 of the team's first 50 games this year. The Dana Point, Calif. native has drawn 42 walks this season, the second-highest total by a Bruin in the last 20 years. A dependable glove at second base, he's made just four errors all season for a .982 fielding percentage. ย
Toglia has had a standout junior year for the Bruins, slashing .315/.389/.620 while leading the team in home runs (14) and RBIs (56). He has the most home runs by a Bruin since Cody Decker's 21 in 2009, and he is the first Bruin to collect double-digit home runs in consecutive seasons since Chase Utley, Garrett Atkins, and Bill Scott all accomplished the feat in 1999-2000. He also has a solid shot at beating his own record for the most RBIs by an individual in the Savage era, as he's two away from tying the mark he set in 2018. The switch-hitting first baseman is batting .469 with 11 extra-base hits and 16 RBIs over his last nine games.
Hadley was a pivotal part of the Bruin bullpen this season, locking down the seventh inning role and logging an 8-1 record with a 2.41 ERA. He's recorded the most wins by a UCLA reliever in the John Savage era, and ranks among the team leaders in hits allowed per nine innings (4.3, second) and WHIP (0.88, second).
Despite being a true freshman, Cardenas was one of the most reliable backstops in the Pac-12 this year. Only 12 runners attempted to steal a base against him in the regular season, and he threw out six of them. He had the most total fielding chances without an error of any player in the league. The Saugus, Calif. native also got it done with the bat, as he carries a team-high .407 batting average heading into the postseason.
UCLA, the No. 1 national seed in the NCAA Tournament, begins postseason play this weekend by hosting the Los Angeles Regional at Jackie Robinson Stadium from May 31 to Jun. 3. The field includes (2) Baylor, (3) Loyola Marymount, and (4) Omaha. The Bruins face the Mavericks on Friday night at 7:00 p.m.
2019 Pac-12 Postseason Honors
Pac-12 Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Maverick Handley, Stanford & Adley Rutschman, Oregon State
Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year: Ryan Garcia, UCLA
Pac-12 Freshman of yhe Year: Austin Wells, Arizona
Pac-12 Coach of the Year: John Savage, UCLA
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All-Conference Team:ย
| Hunter | Bishop | Arizona State |
| Cameron | Cannon | Arizona |
| Chris | Clarke | USC |
| Andrew | Daschbach | Stanford |
| Oliver | Dunn | Utah |
| Ryan | Garcia | UCLA |
| Maverick | Handley | Stanford |
| Jared | Horn | California |
| Nick | Kahle | Washington |
| Ryan | Kreidler | UCLA |
| Korey | Lee | California |
| Lyle | Lin | Arizona State |
| Jack | Little | Stanford |
| Connor | Lunn | USC |
| Alec | Marsh | Arizona State |
| Will | Matthiessen | Stanford |
| Alex | McGarry | Oregon State |
| Garrett | Mitchell | UCLA |
| Jake | Mulholland | Oregon State |
| Ryne | Nelson | Oregon |
| Clay | Owens | USC |
| Holden | Powell | UCLA |
| Nick | Quintana | Arizona |
| Jack | Ralston | UCLA |
| Adley | Rutschman | OSU |
| Quentin | Selma | California |
| Spencer | Steer | Oregon |
| Jack | Stronach | UCLA |
| Chase | Strumpf | UCLA |
| Michael | Toglia | UCLA |
| Spencer | Torkelson | Arizona State |
| Andrew | Vaughn | California |
| Brandon | Wulff | Stanford |
All-Conference Honorable Mention:
| Chris | Clarke | USC |
| Brady | Corrigan | Arizona State |
| Matthew | Dyer | Arizona |
| Cameron | Eden | California |
| Brandon | Eisert | Oregon State |
| Bryce | Fehmel | Oregon State |
| Grant | Gambrell | Oregon State |
| Nate | Hadley | UCLA |
| Trevor | Halsema | USC |
| Trevor | Hauver | Arizona State |
| Duke | Kinamon | Stanford |
| Arman | Sabouri | California |
| Kyle | Stowers | Stanford |
| Tim | Tawa | Stanford |
| Mitchell | Verburg | Oregon State |
| Braiden | Ward | Washington |
| Austin | Wells | Arizona |
| Alika | Williams | Arizona State |
| Gage | Workman | Arizona State |
All-Defensive Team:ย
| Darren | Baker | California |
| Andrew | Daschbach | Stanford |
| Bryce | Fehmel | Oregon State |
| Maverick | Handley | Stanford |
| Garrett | Mitchell | UCLA |
| Adley | Rutschman | Oregon State |
| Spencer | Steer | Oregon |
| Kyle | Stowers | Stanford |
| Alika | Williams | Arizona State |
| Donta | Williams | Arizona |
All-Defensive Team Honorable Mention:ย
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| Matthew | Acosta | USC |
| Andres | Alvarez | Washington State |
| Andy | Armstrong | Oregon State |
| Nick | Bellafronto | Stanford |
| Noah | Cardenas | UCLA |
| Jonny | DeLuca | Oregon |
| Bryce | Fehmel | Oregon State |
| Max | Flower | California |
| Jared | Horn | California |
| Preston | Jones | Oregon State |
| Nick | Kahle | Washington |
| Duke | Kinamon | Stanford |
| Gabe | Matthews | Oregon |
| Brandon | Perez | USC |
| Beau | Philip | Oregon State |
| Nick | Quintana | Arizona |
| Drew | Swift | Arizona State |
| Gage | Workman | Arizona State |
