Top pitching and coaching honors headline eight All-SCIAC awards

ORANGE, Calif. – Eight SCIAC awards were claimed by the Chapman University baseball team, headlined by Pitcher of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year. Wyatt Thompson was named the top pitcher in the SCIAC while head coach Scott Laverty and his staff were honored for the third season in a row.

The Panthers placed six players on the All-SCIAC First Team after surging to a first-place finish in the regular season. Starting pitcher Grant Manning joined Thompson on the First Team. Catcher Cooper Foard also earned the First Team nod as did Cole Minato, Davis Mieliwocki and Drew Littwin. AJ Anzai landed All-SCIAC Second Team honors.

Thompson's top pitching honor makes it back-to-back years with a Panther pitcher claiming the SCIAC Pitcher of the Year award. The junior righty from Oakland, Calif., dominanted in the SCIAC this season with a conference-leading 1.40 ERA and a perfect 5-0 record in SCIAC games. He struck out 48 over 45 innings pitched and allowed just seven runs to score on 23 hits. He never allowed more than five hits in a start and struck out a season-high 11 batters in a win over Occidental.

Manning joined Thompson on the All-SCIAC First Team, forming a formidable 1-2 starting pitching punch on the mound. The SCIAC strikeout leader had 68 punch outs in SCIAC games for a dominant average of 10.49 strikeouts per nine innings. He went 6-0 during the SCIAC season, tossing one complete game and walking 13 over 58.1 innings with a 3.09 ERA.

Foard and Littwin all earned their second career All-SCIAC honors. Foard earned the distinction last season while Littwin was a Second Team selection as a freshman. Foard tied for the conference lead with nine of his 10 home runs this season coming during SCIAC games. He drove in 31 RBIs, stole six bases and hit .395. He hit his second career grand slam as part of Chapman's school record of five this season. Littwin hit .407 in the conference season and finished the year with 11 doubles – the second-most in the SCIAC. He also scored 26 runs and drove in 17 RBIs.

Littwin, Mielwocki and Minato all hit over-.400 in conference games this season to earn the First Team honors. Minato's SCIAC batting average of .437 led the team this season. He struck out just twice all season and drove in 18 RBIs with six doubles and two triples. Mieliwocki hit .411 with five homers and 10 doubles in SCIAC games, scoring 29 times and driving in 24 RBIs.

Anzai was another one of four Chapman starters with a .400 or better average to earn a spot on the Second Team as a designated hitter. He hit .413 in SCIAC games, belted four home runs and drove in 21 RBIs. He drove in nine RBIs during the final SCIAC series to lead the Panthers to a first-place clinching sweep.

For the third season in a row, Laverty led the Panthers to a first-place finish. The 2019 National Coach of the Year led his team to one of its best SCIAC offensive seasons, leading the conference with a .349 team batting average. The pitching staff as led the nine-team conference with a 3.76 team ERA in SCIAC games.

The Panthers host the SCIAC Tournament this weekend for the third year in a row. Chapman takes on Cal Lutheran on Friday at 3 p.m. to open postseason play.

By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director

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