Post by CrimsonPhantom on Feb 5, 2020 13:57:17 GMT -7
DENVER โ Aggie second baseman Nick Gonzales is officially the preseason favorite to take home the 2020 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year award.
The conference announced its Preseason Coaches Poll, Preseason All-WAC Team and Preseason Player and Pitcher of the Year Wednesday morning. The league's 10 head coaches voted on the honors, but could not select their own team or players.
A unanimous All-American in 2019, Gonzales put together one of the best offensive seasons in Aggie program history, slashing .432/.532/.773 with 16 home runs, 80 RBI, 19 doubles and four triples as a sophomore. He recorded the sixth-most hits (95) in team history for a single season in addition to finishing with the fifth-highest batting average and fifth-most runs scored (80) in school history for a season.
The Vail, Ariz., native led the nation in batting average while also ranking in the top ten nationally in slugging percentage (third), hits (fourth), runs (fourth), RBI (fifth), OBP (fifth), total bases (sixth) and sacrifice flies (eighth). He was a finalist for the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes National Player of the Year Award.
The most recent honor is one of many that he has received this preseason. Named a Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, Perfect Game, D1Baseball and Baseball America, Gonzales is on the radar of every MLB team heading into the 2020 campaign, projected as a top-five pick in the upcoming draft.
In addition to receiving the conference's Preseason Player of the Year nod, Gonzales landed on the Preseason All-WAC Team at second base. He was joined by teammates Tristan Peterson and Kevin Jimenez at first base and utility/designated hitter, respectively.
Peterson, a senior, concluded the 2019 season batting .400 at the dish, ranking 14th in the country. The Tucson, Ariz., native was also nationally ranked second in RBI (90), fourth in slugging percentage (.769), ninth in on-base percentage (.520), 15th in homers (20), 18th in runs (69) and 25th in total bases (150).
Jimenez, meanwhile, hit .327 with one home run and 24 RBI across 98 plate appearances. The sophomore from Nogales, Ariz., slugged .408 and got on base at a .402 clip, drawing 26 walks to his 15 strikeouts.
Only UTRGV matched NM State's trio of position players on the Preseason All-WAC Team, as the Vaqueros also placed three on the team. Three of the four pitchers on the Preseason All-WAC Team were from Grand Canyon, with the Antelopes' Kade Mechals garnering Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
The Aggies (66 points) were predicted to finish third in the conference behind Grand Canyon (73 points) and Sacramento State (71 points), respectively. NM State received two first-place votes, as did Grand Canyon and fourth-place UTRGV (55 points).
The trio of Gonzales, Peterson and Jimenez, along with the rest of the Aggies, begin the 2020 campaign Friday, Feb. 14. First pitch against Texas Southern is set for 3 p.m. MT at Presley Askew Field.
The conference announced its Preseason Coaches Poll, Preseason All-WAC Team and Preseason Player and Pitcher of the Year Wednesday morning. The league's 10 head coaches voted on the honors, but could not select their own team or players.
A unanimous All-American in 2019, Gonzales put together one of the best offensive seasons in Aggie program history, slashing .432/.532/.773 with 16 home runs, 80 RBI, 19 doubles and four triples as a sophomore. He recorded the sixth-most hits (95) in team history for a single season in addition to finishing with the fifth-highest batting average and fifth-most runs scored (80) in school history for a season.
The Vail, Ariz., native led the nation in batting average while also ranking in the top ten nationally in slugging percentage (third), hits (fourth), runs (fourth), RBI (fifth), OBP (fifth), total bases (sixth) and sacrifice flies (eighth). He was a finalist for the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes National Player of the Year Award.
The most recent honor is one of many that he has received this preseason. Named a Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, Perfect Game, D1Baseball and Baseball America, Gonzales is on the radar of every MLB team heading into the 2020 campaign, projected as a top-five pick in the upcoming draft.
In addition to receiving the conference's Preseason Player of the Year nod, Gonzales landed on the Preseason All-WAC Team at second base. He was joined by teammates Tristan Peterson and Kevin Jimenez at first base and utility/designated hitter, respectively.
Peterson, a senior, concluded the 2019 season batting .400 at the dish, ranking 14th in the country. The Tucson, Ariz., native was also nationally ranked second in RBI (90), fourth in slugging percentage (.769), ninth in on-base percentage (.520), 15th in homers (20), 18th in runs (69) and 25th in total bases (150).
Jimenez, meanwhile, hit .327 with one home run and 24 RBI across 98 plate appearances. The sophomore from Nogales, Ariz., slugged .408 and got on base at a .402 clip, drawing 26 walks to his 15 strikeouts.
Only UTRGV matched NM State's trio of position players on the Preseason All-WAC Team, as the Vaqueros also placed three on the team. Three of the four pitchers on the Preseason All-WAC Team were from Grand Canyon, with the Antelopes' Kade Mechals garnering Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
The Aggies (66 points) were predicted to finish third in the conference behind Grand Canyon (73 points) and Sacramento State (71 points), respectively. NM State received two first-place votes, as did Grand Canyon and fourth-place UTRGV (55 points).
The trio of Gonzales, Peterson and Jimenez, along with the rest of the Aggies, begin the 2020 campaign Friday, Feb. 14. First pitch against Texas Southern is set for 3 p.m. MT at Presley Askew Field.
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