Cook's First Team nod headlines three All-Region selections

ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University baseball team landed three All-Region selections from D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association, including a First Team selection for senior infielder Tyler Cook. Juniors Gavin Blodgett and Jared Love joined Cook as All-West Region selections. 

Love earned Second Team honors from the ABCA and was a Third Team selection for D3baseball.com. Blodgett, who saw time at second base and catcher this year, was a Third Team catcher for D3baseball.com and a Third Team second baseman for the ABCA.

Cook, the Panthers' third baseman from Tustin, Calif., earned his second career All-West Region honor. He also landed a Second Team selection after the 2015 season. After hitting .431 with a career-best eight homers this year, Cook launched up the top-10 in several categories. His .379 career average ranks third in Chapman's Division III history and his 19 career homers ranks fifth. He ranks second in career doubles and sixth with 131 career RBIs. His .431 average this year ranks 25th in all of Division III and is the second highest single season average in Chapman history.

This season, Cook was a centerpiece of the Panthers' high-powered offense that led the nation in doubles per game, ranked sixth in batting average and fifth in slugging. He drove in 39 runs and scored 42 times. He also smacked 14 doubles, legged out one triple and stole three bases in three attempts.

Love, the Panthers' first baseman from Brea, Calif., led the squad with 45 RBIs on a career-best .385 average and seven home runs. His 17 homers at Chapman are tied for tenth all-time. He drew 32 walks in 2017 to more than double his career total and post a .505 on-base percentage, which ranked in the top-50 in the nation. His 18 doubles also led the Panthers and ranked as the 23rd-most in the country. He committed just one error this season for a .998 fielding percentage, leading a Panther team that ranked tenth in Division III in fielding.

Blodgett started at both second base and catcher this season and earned All-Region as both. Blodgett and Love both earned the first All-Region nods of their respective careers. In his third year with the Panthers from Fullerton, Calif., Blodgett continued his prowess with the bat. He hit .348 this year with a career-best 16 doubles and six home runs. He led the team with 46 runs scored and drove in 34 RBI while also stealing four bags in four tries.

The three selections for the Panthers are the most since 2014. Chapman finished the season 26-14 with a 16-8 mark and second-place finish in the SCIAC.

by Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director

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