Eight earn All-Region recognition

ORANGE, Calif. – After another deep run into the postseason, eight members of the Chapman University baseball team were recognized on various All-Region 10 Teams. D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association each released their All-Region awards this week with plenty of Panthers honored.

Wyatt Thompson was named the Co-Pitcher of the Year on the ABCA's All-Region 10 team to headline the long list of honorees. He was also named to D3baseball.com's Second Team. Thompson spent almost the whole season with an ERA under 2.00. He finished the year 9-1 with a 2.18 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 74.1 innings pitched. He allowed more than two earned runs just three times all season and turned in seven shutout innings in the NCAA Regional win over Pomona-Pitzer.

Three more Panthers joined Anzai on the ABCA All-Region 10 First Team. Battery mate Cooper Foard, fellow starting pitcher Grant Manning and designated hitter AJ Anzai. Manning was also a D3baseball.com Second Team selection after a 118 strikeout season. His 118 strikeouts this year rank sixth nationally and are the fifth-most in Chapman's storied pitching history. He tossed 106.2 innings, going 8-1 with a 3.12 ERA.

Foard and Anzai were both named to the D3baseball.com Third Team in addition to their ABCA First Team nods. Foard put up historic power numbers for the Panthers this year. His 12 home runs were the most for a Panther since 2010 and tie him for the second-most in a single season. He hit .317 on the year with 10 stolen bases, 48 RBIs, 13 doubles and two triples. Anzai emerged as the everyday DH as the season progressed by rainsing his batting average over .400 toward the end of the regular season. He hit .398 to end the year, hit five home runs and drove in 42 RBIs. He also hit 13 doubles and scored 28 runs.

The Panthers' left side of the infield was honored on the D3baseball.com Third Team with both Drew Littwin and Cole Minato being honored. Littwin also earned Second Team recognition for the ABCA. Littwin had the best season of his career at the plate, hitting .383 with a .477 on base percentage and .528 slugging percentage. He hit 15 doubles and three homers while bringing in 33 RBIs and scoring 47 runs. Minato hit .389 out of the nine-hole in the Panther lineup and struck out just 13 times in 167 at bats. He hit nine doubles and two triples while driving in 31 RBIs and scoring 34 runs.

The right side of the infield was also honored as Davis Mieliwocki garnered D3baseball.com Second Team honors and Nick Kondo earned ABCA Third Team honors. Mieliwocki led the Panthers with 51 RBIs. He hit .386 with a team-best 71 hits and slugged .625 with 18 doubles , one triple and eight home runs. Kondo led the Panthers, who rank fourth nationally with 129 doubles, with 19 doubles – the 21st most in the nation individually. He hit .318 for the year with a team-best 15 stolen bases. He also held a .973 fielding percentage at second base with just six errors in over-200 chances.

The Panthers hosted the SCIAC Tournament after finishing atop the conference standings for the third straight season and made their fourth consecutive appearance to the NCAA Tournament, finishing the season 35-14 after falling to LaGrange in the NCAA Division III Super Regionals.

By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director

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