4 PacWest players earn 2011 ABCA/Rawlings West Region honors

PHOENIX, AZ – Four Pacific West Conference players have landed on the 2011 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings West Region Team.

Hawai‘i Pacific junior Blake Amaral (Hilo, HI/Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii) was named First Team as a designated hitter, while Hawai‘i Hilo senior Keoni Manago (Honolulu, HI/Roosevelt) earned a Second Team selection as an outfielder.

Dixie State junior catcher Joe Andrade (Yuma, AZ/San Luis) and junior 1B Tyson Littlewood (St. George, UT/Pine View) each were named to the Second Team.

Amaral, the 2011 PacWest Player of the Year and the 2009 Freshman and Newcomer of the Year, 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.

Manago wrapped 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.

Andrade was named All-PacWest First Team after helping lead the Red Storm to the 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.

Littlewood had phenomenal offensive stats this season for the Red Storm in earning All-PacWest First Team honors. 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.