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Dixie State picked to repeat; Red Storm’s Littlewood, Dedrick garner preseason awards

Tyson Littlewood PHOENIX, AZ – Dixie State totaled 34 points and captured four of a possible six first-place votes to earn the nod as the team to beat in the chase for the 2012 Pacific West Conference Baseball Championship.

The Red Storm will be led by two preseason favorites in senior 1B Tyson Littlewood (St. George, UT/Pine View) and junior right-handed pitcher Mike Dedrick (Cedar City, UT/Canyon View) who were tabbed as the PacWest Preseason Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively.

The PacWest revealed its 2012 Preseason All-Conference Team and predicted order of finish live on KQCK Radio on Thursday, Jan. 26, during the league’s weekly radio show.

Littlewood had phenomenal offensive stats in 2011 for the Red Storm. He led the PacWest in slugging (.639), on-base percentage (.475), runs scored (46), RBI (51), home runs (11), total bases (99) and walks (37), and he ranked fourth in base hits with 54. Littlewood finished the year sixth in hitting, producing a .348 average in 47 starts. He went 54 for 155 with 12 doubles.

A 2011 All-PacWest First Team selection, Littlewood also earned a place on the 2012 Preseason All-Conference Team along with Dedrick.

Mike Dedrick As a sophomore last season Dedrick ranked among the best pitchers in the PacWest, finishing the year with a 5-3 record in 12 starts and 3.91 earned run average. In 73.2 innings of action, he struck out 69 hitters while allowing 32 earned runs. He led the league in strikeouts, ranked fourth in ERA, and finished third in innings pitched.

The Red Storm actually landed three players on the preseason squad, including senior reliever Kyle DiMartino (Las Vegas, NV/Durango) who was named PacWest Newcomer of the Year and a First Team selection in 2011.

DiMartino burst on the scene with a 1.45 earned run average in 22 appearances coming out of the bullpen. He produced a 4-0 record with three saves - striking out 47 over 43.1 innings of action - and allowed just seven earned runs, five extra-base hits and a .190 batting average.

The Red Storm finished the 2011 campaign as the PacWest Champion after compiling a 22-10 league record and a 32-15 overall mark.

California Baptist – the team slated to finish behind the Red Storm - enters the PacWest schedule this season after compiling a 43-16 overall mark in 2011 during its final season of competition in the NAIA. The Lancers picked up 27 points and the remaining two first-place votes.

Blake Amaral Hawai‘i Pacific garnered 23 points in the voting and is picked to take third place after finishing in second last year with a 20-12 PacWest record and a 26-21 overall mark, while Grand Canyon earned 21 points and is expected to take fourth in 2012. Last season the Antelopes made a late-season run to finish 16-16 in conference action and 21-26 overall.

Hawai‘i Hilo (12 points) is picked fifth and Academy of Art (9) sixth to round out the predicted order of finish. The Vulcans tied for third with GCU in 2011 after posting a 16-16 conference record and a 21-25 overall mark. Art U finished the season 6-26 in league play and 6-43 overall; however, the Urban Knights are a promising program that landed three players on the preseason squad.

The head coaches of the PacWest selected the Preseason All-Conference Team and predicted order of finish.

Hawai‘i Pacific earned three All-PacWest Preseason selections as well. Senior OF Blake Amaral (Hilo, HI/Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii) – the 2011 PacWest Player of the Year, and 2009 Freshman and Newcomer of the Year - earned his third straight All-PacWest First Team selection in 2011. He claimed the honor as a DH after winning the award as an outfielder in 2009 and 2010. This season Amaral returns to the outfield where he claimed the preseason honor.

Devyn Rivera In 2011, Amaral finished second in the PacWest in hitting with a .388 average, going 50 for 129 with 26 runs scored, 16 doubles, 27 RBI, 14 walks, a .589 slugging mark and a .459 on-base rate. He also ranked second in slugging and on-base percentage, and he tied for the conference lead in doubles.

HPU senior OF Rylan Morihara (Honolulu, HI/Iolani) – who was an All-PacWest Second Team pick in 2011 – joins Amaral on the preseason squad in the outfield.

Morihara batted .310 in 45 games and 43 starts, going 48 for 155 with 27 runs, 19 RBI, three doubles, 22 walks and 10 stolen bases. He produced a .420 on-base average.

Junior catcher Jordan Inamasu (Kahului, HI/Maui) earned a place on the preseason all-conference team in what could be a breakout season for the backstop. He hit .271 in 30 games (23 starts), going 19 for 70 with nine runs, three doubles and 14 RBI in 2011.

Art U’s trio of preseason picks included sunior 2B Zach Babitt (Richmond, CA/Albany) who was named All-PacWest First Team in 2011. Babitt hit .303 in 49 starts, going 47 for 155 at the plate with 35 runs, four doubles, 27 RBI, 31 walks and 12 stolen bases. He had a .435 on-base percentage and tied for second in the league in steals.

Kenny Rollins, Jr. Senior 3B Kenny Rollins, Jr. (Ayer, MA/Ayer) batted .318 in 37 starts for the Urban Knights last season. He went 35 for 110 with 11 runs, six doubles and 14 RBI. He also converted 10 of 14 steal attempts and walked 13 times.

Senior pitcher Zach Mexicano (Scotts Valley, CA/Scotts Valley) was the workhorse for the Urban Knights last season. Although his stats were not flashy, the veteran hurler posted a 3-10 record to claim half of Academy of Art’s victories in 2011. He tossed five complete games, struck out 38, and posted a 6.35 ERA over 79.1 innings of action.

Hawai‘i Hilo and California Baptist each had one preseason pick. The Vulcans saw senior DH Steve Riddle (Burlingame, CA/Burlingame) earn Preseason All-PacWest honors after hitting .299 last season. He started 41 of 45 games for UHH, going 40 for 134 with 17 runs, six doubles and 15 RBI.

P.J., Garcia Standout senior hurler Devyn Rivera (Gilbert, AZ/Gilbert) represented the Lancers on the squad after boasting a 9-3 record in 14 appearances and 12 starts for CBU. He had a 3.28 earned run average, tossed five complete games and 74 innings, struck out 61, and walked just 35.

Grand Canyon earned the most All-PacWest Preseason selections this year with five. Senior SS Ernesto Ortiz (Phoenix, AZ/Chaparral) – a 2011 First Team choice - led the quintet of preseason picks for the Antelopes.

Ortiz batted .340 in 42 starts for GCU, going 52 for 153 with 31 runs, 13 doubles, 33 RBI, 15 walks, seven stolen bases and 11 HBP. He had a .477 slugging rate and a .426 on-base mark. Ortiz finished the season fifth in slugging, first in getting plunked, and tied for third in sacrifice flys (4).

GCU junior pitcher Brady Wager (Globe, AZ/Globe) earned Second Team honors in 2011, which, in turn, landed him a spot on the 2012 PacWest Preseason All-Conference Team.

Brady Wager Last year Wager produced a 3.72 earned run average – third-best in the PacWest – while totaling 56 strikeouts in 75 innings of work. He posted a 5-6 overall record in 12 starts, including tossing one complete game, while opponents managed to hit just .244 against him. Wager finished the year ranked second in the league in strikeouts and opponent’s batting average.

Senior catcher Kyle Peterson (Chandler, AZ/Hamilton) and senior 2B P.J. Garcia (Phoenix, AZ/Thunderbird) each claimed a spot on the preseason squad.

Peterson started 44 of 45 games for the Antelopes last year, hitting .325 with 38 runs, 11 doubles, two triples, two homers, 20 RBI and 49 base hits. He also walked 22 times and connected on 11 of 14 steal attempts.

Garcia started 35 games last year for GCU, hitting .364 with 27 runs scored, 47 base hits, 13 doubles, five triples, one homer, eight steals and 33 RBI. He posted a .566 slugging rate and a .458 on-base mark.

Senior OF Joey Bristyan (Scottsdale, AZ/Horizon) started 45 games last year for the Antelopes. He hit .329, going 53 for 161 with 40 runs scored, seven doubles, one triple and 19 RBI. He also walked 28 times.