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HPU’s Blake Amaral named Player of Year; Dixie St.’s Kyle DiMartino voted Newcomer of Year

Blake Amaral PHOENIX, AZ – Hawai‘i Pacific junior DH Blake Amaral (Hilo, HI/Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii) has been named the 2011 Pacific West Conference Player of the Year, while Hawai‘i Hilo senior hurler Kekoa Lee (Waipahu, HI/Moanalua) has been selected the PacWest Pitcher of the Year.

The PacWest media office in Phoenix, AZ, announced the 2011 All-PacWest Team on Tuesday, May 10, following a vote by the head coaches of the conference. The team was unveiled during the weekly PacWest Magazine Radio Show.

In addition to Amaral and Lee garnering two of the league’s top five awards, Dixie State junior reliever Kyle DiMartino (Las Vegas, NV/Durango) has been selected the PacWest Newcomer of the Year, while HPU rookie catcher Lanan Rice-Kashima (Kalaheo, HI/Kauai) and Academy of Art first-year pitcher Wade Broadstreet (Brea, CA/Brea Olinda) shared Freshman of the Year honors.

Mike Littlewood Dixie State Head Coach Mike Littlewood, who led the Red Storm to the PacWest Championship, earned his second Coach of the Year award after claiming his first in 2009. Littlewood guided the Red Storm to a 32-15 overall record and their second PacWest title in three season after Dixie State posted a 22-10 conference mark.

Amaral, the 2009 Freshman and Newcomer of the Year, also earned his third straight All-PacWest First Team selection this season. He 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 tied for the conference lead in doubles.

Rice-Kashima hit .310 in 26 games and 25 starts for the Sea Warriors in earning Co-Freshman of the Year honors. He produced 27 base hits, 14 runs scored, eight doubles, 13 RBI and a .425 slugging rate. He also earned All-PacWest Second Team accolades.

Kekoa Lee While Amaral was the lone All-PacWest First Team selection for the Sea Warriors this season, Rice-Kashima and five of his HPU teammates claimed Second Team honors. Sophomore 1B Kale Sumner (Kailua, HI/Kailua) – a First Team choice last year – was joined by senior 2B Lester Akeo (Kapolei, HI/Kamehameha Schools), junior OF Troy Ajer (Sagus, CA/Sagus), red-shirt freshman pitcher Peter Ibanez (Kahului, HI/Maui), sophomore pitcher Brent Queen (Manassas, VA/Stonewall Jackson) and junior OF Rylan Morihara (Honolulu, HI/Iolani).

Sumner hit .317 in 45 games and 44 starts for the Sea Warriors. He produced 46 hits, 31 runs, 15 doubles, 36 RBI, 31 walks, a .448 slugging mark and a .440 on-base average. He ranked third in the PacWest in doubles and RBI, and tied for second in walks.

Wade Broadstreet Ajer had a solid season, hitting .305 with 40 base hits, 24 runs scored, six doubles, 21 RBI and 21 walks, while Akeo batted .288 with 38 base hits, 29 runs, 17 RBI, and 29 walks. He had a .427 on-base average.

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.

Queen finished the year with a 6-2 record in 10 starts, posting a .582 earned run average over 65 innings of work. He struck out 44 and tossed a pair of complete games.

Ibanez posted a 3-2 record with one save in 12 appearances. He started three games and tossed two complete contests, posting a 2.43 ERA in 33.1 innings of action. He struck out 17 and allowed only nine earned runs while opponents mustered a .244 batting average.

Hawai‘i Hilo landed six All-PacWest selections, including three on the First Team and three more on the Second Team.

Lee was the big winner. In addition to earning Pitcher of the Year honors, he also was named All-PacWest First Team as a hurler and claimed All-PacWest Second Team accolades as a DH. In 2009 he was a First Team pitcher.

This season Lee was terrific on the mound. He posted a 2-2 record with a 2.76 ERA in seven starts, registering 42 strikeouts in 42.1 innings of action. He permitted just 13 earned runs and 17 walks during the year while giving up just four extra-base hits.

At the plate Lee hit .325 in 45 games and 44 starts. He went 49 for 151 with 32 runs scored, 14 doubles, 33 RBI, 19 walks, a .450 slugging percentage and a .408 on-base mark. He tied for third in the PacWest in doubles.

UHH sophomore 3B Jonathan James (Honolulu, HI/Kamehameha-Kapalama) and senior OF Keoni Manago (Honolulu, HI/Roosevelt) claimed All-PacWest First Team accolades, while senior SS Bryan Patterson (Hilo, HI/Hilo) and sophomore pitcher Chris Pascual (Kapolei, HI/Kamehameha-Kapalama) were named to the Second Team.

Keoni Manago Manago wraps up his career with three straight All-PacWest First Team selections, the 2008 Freshman of the Year honor, the 2009 Player of the Year award, and the 2010 Co-Player of the Year plaque.

This season he led the PacWest in hitting with a .394 average, going 65 for 165 with 41 runs, 14 doubles, three triples, three homers, 25 RBI, 94 total bases, a .570 slugging rate, a .457 on-base average and 19 walks in 43 games and 42 starts.

In addition to being the batting champion of the PacWest, he ranked third in slugging, fourth in on-base percentage, second in base hits, third in runs scored, tied for third in doubles, tied for second in triples, tied for second in home runs, and ranked second in total bases.

James, meanwhile, had a breakout season even though his numbers may have been overshadowed by Manago’s offense. He finished fifth in batting in the PacWest after hitting .356 in 41 games and 37 starts. He went 48 for 135 with 19 runs, 20 RBI and a .439 on-base average.

Patterson hit .301 in 46 games and 45 starts, producing 41 hits, 28 runs, 30 RBI, four doubles, 23 walks and a .420 on-base mark.

Tyson Littlewood Pascual went 2-2 on the mound with two saves and a 3.49 ERA in 13 appearances and two starts. He struck out 42 in 38.2 innings of action, allowing just 15 walks, 15 earned runs and a .223 opponent’s batting average.

Dixie State produced four All-PacWest First Team selections – the most by any one team in 2011. DiMartino was named to the First Team as its reliever to go along with his Newcomer of the Year honors. The Newcomer of the Year award is presented to a PacWest player making his debut in the conference. He may not be a freshman or red-shirt freshman.

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

Sophomore hurler Mike Dedrick (Cedar City, UT/Canyon View) ranked among the best pitchers in the PacWest this season, 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.

Two pitchers earning All-PacWest First Team honors means there must be an outstanding batterymate. Junior catcher Joe Andrade (Yuma, AZ/San Luis) was named All-PacWest First Team after helping lead the Red Storm to a PacWest title.

At the plate he hit .294 in 43 games and 40 starts, recording 42 hits, 16 runs, 44 RBI, 16 doubles and two homers. He posted a .462 slugging rate and a .368 on-base mark, going 37 for 127 with 39 runs, 14 RBI, six doubles and 23 walks. He had a .409 on-base average.

Tyler Bair Junior 1B Tyson Littlewood (St. George, UT/Pine View) had phenomenal offensive stats this season 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.

Grand Canyon claimed four All-PacWest selections, including a trio of First Team members and one Second Team honor. Junior SS Ernesto Ortiz (Phoenix, AZ/Chaparral), and senior outfielders Tyler Bair (Scottsdale, AZ/Coronado) and R.J. Etchebarren (Phoenix, AZ/Paradise Valley) earned First Team accolades.

Bair, who was a Second Team choice in 2010, hit .317 in 47 starts for the Antelopes. He ripped 59 base hits, scored 42 runs, roped 13 doubles, drove in 31 runs, stole nine bases and produced a .430 slugging mark. He ranked second in the PacWest in runs scored, third in base hits, and fourth in total bases (80). He led the PacWest in sacrifice flys with six.

R.J. Etchebarren Etchebarren wound up third in the chase for the batting title, hitting .378 in 46 games and 45 starts. He went 71 for 188 with 25 runs, 11 doubles, 29 RBI, 16 walks, a .447 slugging mark and a .430 on-base average. He led the league in base hits and ranked fourth in total bases (84), while he and Bair tied for the PacWest lead in total plate appearances with 207. He also led the conference in at-bats with 188 – two ahead of runner-up Bair.

Ortiz also had a strong season for the Antelopes. He 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 sophomore pitcher Brady Wager (Globe, AZ/Globe) earned Second Team honors after a solid season that produced a 3.72 earned run average – third-best in the PacWest – and 56 strikeouts in 75 innings of work. He posted a 5-6 overall record in 12 starts, including tossing one complete game. Opponents hit just .244. Wager finished the year ranked second in the league in strikeouts and opponent’s batting average.

Academy of Art was led by junior 2B Zach Babitt (Richmond, CA/Albany) who was named All-PacWest First Team. 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.

Zach Babitt The Urban Knights earned a pair of Second Team selections in senior 3B Darnell Quinney (Richmond, CA/El Cerrito) and junior OF Johnathan Robbins (Charlotte, NC/Providence).

Quinney batted .305 this year, recording 36 base hits, 18 runs, 10 doubles, 23 RBI, 13 walks, eight steals and a .407 slugging rate. Robbins led the PacWest in stolen bases with 26 and finished the year hitting .267 with 44 base hits, six doubles, 11 RBI and 25 walks.

Broadstreet earned Co-Freshman of the Year honors for being the workhorse of the Urban Knight staff. He tossed 66.2 innings of action while making 15 appearances and nine starts. He struck out 28 with a 5.40 earned run average.