Trio of Bruins Receive All-Pac-12 Honorable Mentions
May 21, 2024 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES – Junior infielder Duce Gourson, graduate right-handed pitcher Rashad Ruff, and freshman infielder Roch Cholowsky from the UCLA baseball team all received honorable mentions as the Pac-12 announced its 2024 All-Conference Team on Tuesday morning.
It was the second consecutive year in which Gourson was recognized by the Pac-12, as he made the all-league team as a sophomore in 2023. Cholowsky and Ruff were both in their debut seasons in Westwood.
Gourson, the Bruins' primary second baseman, slashed .288/.427/.482 with 16 a team-high 16 doubles, seven home runs, and 27 RBIs over 51 games. He had a 22-game reached base streak early on in the season, and followed that up with a nine-game hitting streak in late April – both were the longest streaks by a Bruin all season. As of the end of the regular season, Gourson ranked fifth in the Pac-12 in walks (38) and 11th in OBP.
Ruff posted a 4.02 ERA and seven saves this season as the Bruins' closer. He struck out 54 batters against just 16 walks in 27 appearances spanning 47.0 innings. The Moreno Valley, Calif. native led the Pac-12 in games finished (24) while ranking second in appearances and fourth in saves. In Pac-12 play, his 4.20 ERA ranked 10th among all qualifying league pitchers. Ruff started off his season on a tear, going unscored upon in his first seven and 10 of his first 11 outings as a Bruin.
Cholowsky had a breakout season for UCLA, leading the team in batting (.308), slugging (.500), home runs (8), hits (61), runs (38), and total bases (99) while finishing as the lone Bruin to appear in all 52 of the team's games. He was one of the top hitters on the west coast over the last month of the regular season, slashing .391/.452/.766 with seven home runs and 18 RBIs in 16 games from Apr. 21 on.
Around the league, Travis Bazzana (Oregon State) won the batting championship and was named Pac-12 Player of the Year, Bryson Van Sickle (Utah) earned league Pitcher of the Year honors, and Arizona's Chip Hale was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
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