After finishing the regular season with a winning record both overall and in conference play, the Seattle University baseball team was well-represented on the postseason Western Athletic Conference teams, announced Tuesday morning by the league office.
Sophomore outfielder Landon Cray (Chimacum, Wash.) and junior catcher Brian Olson (Black Diamond, Wash.) were voted First Team All-WAC by the conference coaches, while senior outfielder Chase Fields (Ontario, Ore.) and senior infielder Cullen Hendrickson (Auburn, Wash.) received Second Team All-WAC recognition.
Entering the WAC Baseball Tournament, Cray leads the Redhawks and is fourth in the league in batting with a .357 average and in on-base percentage at .455, plus he is eighth in the WAC in slugging percentage at .464. In WAC contests, Cray batted .354 with a .470 on-base percentage thanks in part to drawing 19 walks, third in the conference. Cray led the Redhawks with six outfield assists during the season.
Olson, one of two Seattle U players to start every regular season game, batted .321 with a team-high 63 hits, including 14 doubles, two triples, and three home runs, and 45 runs batted in, tying for the most RBI in a single season since the rebirth of the program in 2010. On March 26 at Portland, Olson went 5-for-5, his second career five-hit game and the only Redhawk player to put together a five-hit offensive performance in the past five seasons.
Fields currently leads the WAC with 24 stolen bases as he batted .302 from the leadoff spot with 62 hits, including 12 doubles and two triples, and 38 runs scored, tops on the squad. Hendrickson finished the regular season with a .290 batting average with a team-high five home runs and 25 runs batted in, including the game-winning home run in the ninth inning of the May 9 victory over Utah Valley.
Sacramento State, the WAC regular season champion, took home three of the four major awards, as infielder Rhys Hoskins was named Player of the Year, pitcher Sam Long earned Freshman of the Year honors, and head coach Reggie Christiansen was voted Coach of the Year by his peers. Texas-Pan American senior Sam Street received the WAC Pitcher of the Year award.
Seattle University (26-25), the fifth seed in the WAC Baseball Tournament, faces fourth seed Bakersfield in the first game of the tournament Wednesday, May 21, at 3 p.m. at Cubs Park in Mesa, Ariz. Live stats and live audio of the game will be available for free on GoSeattleU.com, with a live video stream available for a fee at WACSports.com.