As the 2013 baseball regular season comes to a close, multiple baseball publications announced the semifinalists for their respective postseason awards and the Big West Conference was represented on four lists announced this week.
College Baseball Hall of Fame announced its newest watch list for both the Pitcher of the Year award and John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year award. Freshman standout from Cal State Fullerton, Justin Garza, made the 22-person Pitcher of the Year list while junior Titan Michael Lorenzen was one of 11 players recognized for the Two-Way Player of the Year honor.
Garza, the Saturday starter for fourth-ranked Cal State Fullerton, and Lorenzen, the Titans’ starting center fielder and closer, have led CSF to a 42-8 record as Fullerton approaches the weekend atop the Big West standings with a 17-4 mark.
Hailing from Ontario, Calif., Garza owns an 11-0 record and the Titans are a perfect 13-0 when he starts on the mound. He is currently tied for third in the country, and first among freshmen, with his impressive win total. In 89 innings pitched, Garza has tallied a 2.12 ERA to rank fourth in the league, while striking out 70 batters.
Lorenzen is hitting .328, while leading the team with 43 runs batted in. The Anaheim, Calif., native has registered 61 hits, including 10 doubles, three triples and seven home runs. Lorenzen has recorded 16 multiple-hit games and nine multiple-RBI games, while his 13-game hitting streak earlier in the year was the longest of the season for any Titan.
On the mound, he paces the Big West with 16 saves, matching his mark from last season to tie for fifth in the conference record book. He manages a 1.96 ERA and in 18 appearances has tossed 18 and 1/3 innings, striking out 13.
Both awards will be presented on June 29 as part of the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s annual Night of Champions event in Lubbock, Texas.
Lorenzen is also a semifinalist candidate for the Dick Howser Trophy, presented by Easton Foundations. The award, given to the top player in collegiate baseball, will be presented at TD Ameritrade Stadium in downtown Omaha, the home of the College World Series for the third year. The winner will be unveiled on Saturday, June 15 at 10:00 a.m. CT, the opening day of the 2013 CWS.
UC Irvine’s Ronnie Shaeffer is one of 15 semifinalists for the Johnny Bench Award, recognizing the nation’s top collegiate catcher as voted on by Division I coaches.. The senior ranks third on the team with a .306 batting average and second with 34 RBI. He has been fanned just 12 times in 193 at-bats to rank 28th in the country in toughest to strikeout category. The Garden Grove, Calif., native, has held opposing teams to a .467 steal average, second-best among all semifinalists.
The winner will be announced at the 16th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 27, 2013.