Peck honored as Pitcher of the Year, three Panthers earn All-Region
ORANGE, Calif. – Three members of the Chapman University baseball team earned d3baseball.com All-West Region honors earlier this afternoon. Senior Tyler Peck received All-Region Pitcher of the Year as well as a spot on the First Team. Sophomore Nick Garcia joined Peck on the First Team and senior Jonathan Hernandez earned Second Team honors. Head coach Scott Laverty received his first career Coach of the Year honors.
Peck has been a force for the Panthers on the mound all season. Chapman's ace led the Panthers and currently leads the nation with 142 strikeouts this season. He has helped the Panther pitching staff be one of the most dominant in the nation, posting a career-low 1.82 ERA while allowing opponents to hit just .214. The Corte Madera native leads the nation with 15 starts this season and has posted a career-best 7-3 record this year. Peck amassed double-digit strikeout games in eight of his 15 starts, including a career-high 16 strikeouts against George Fox.
Garcia is the only reliever to be featured on d3baseball.com's All-Region list after putting up impressive numbers from the bullpen. The sophomore posted an impressive 0.60 ERA over 45 innings pitched. He earned a perfect 7-0 record while also amassing nine saves this season. As the Panthers' go-to closer, the San Carlos native allowed just three earned runs while striking out 71 batters. Garcia allowed just 27 hits, forcing batters to hit a mere .167 when he was on the mound.
Rounding out the player selections was another member of the Panther pitching staff. Hernandez earned his first career All-Region honors after a stellar season on the mound. The righty posted a perfect 7-0 record with two complete games, including a one-hit gem against Cal Lutheran in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament. The San Mateo native tallied a career-low 2.75 ERA while striking out 81 batters in 91 and two-thirds innings pitched.
This is Laverty's first career All-Region Coach of the Year honors after leading the Panthers to a SCIAC Tournament Championship and an NCAA Regional Championship. Under his leadership, Chapman has posted a 36-11 overall record heading into the Super Regional round this coming weekend.
The Panthers face off against Concordia University Texas in the Super Regional round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament this weekend, May 24-25 at Hart Park in Orange, Calif.
by Katie Bell
Sports Information Assistant
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