Nine Hancock Baseball Players Earn Conference Honors, Armstrong Named Conference Pitcher of the Year
Nine Allan Hancock College baseball players received All-Conference recognition from coaches in the Western State Conference - North Division. Sophomore Walker Armstrong was named Conference Pitcher of the Year, becoming the first Hancock pitcher in recent memory to win the award.
Armstrong (pictured, below) tied for the conference lead with eight wins, ranked third with a 2.15 ERA, and second with 81 strikeouts. The St. Joseph High School graduate threw three complete games, including a three-hit shutout in a 6-0 win over Oxnard, the first shutout by a Hancock pitcher in nearly three years. He allowed 89 hits and issued just 25 walks over 100 2/3 innings.
Armstrong and sophomore outfielder Kyle von Tillow (pictured, below) were named to the All-Conference First Team. Armstrong made it as a utility player. He ranked fifth in the conference with a .310 batting average to go with one home run and 11 RBI. von Tillow, a Santa Ynez High School graduate, hit .286 with two triples, 13 RBI, eight stolen bases and 22 runs scored.
Four Bulldogs were named to the All-Conference Second Team: infielders Josh Harmonay, Ryan Peinado and Dylan Maiden; and outfielder Wyatt Coll. Harmonay tied for third in conference with 26 RBI. The freshman hit .299, and led the team with 29 runs scored, 12 doubles and 25 walks. Peinado, a sophomore, hit .261 with 14 RBI and 14 runs. Maiden hit .279 with 20 RBI and scored 23 times. The Cabrillo High School graduate also pitched in 16 games for the Bulldogs and posted a 5.25 ERA with 18 strikeouts over 24 innings. Coll hit .266 as a sophomore with one home run, 14 RBI, 20 runs, and a .385 on-base percentage.
Nash Ackerman, Quinntin Perez and Chris Taitague received honorable mention. Ackerman, a freshman catcher, hit .228 with 22 walks. The Arroyo Grande High School graduate and Harmonay tied for the team lead with 26 RBI. Perez, a St. Joseph High School graduate, led the Bulldogs with a .389 batting average with 21 RBI and nine doubles.Taitague ended his sophomore year with a .244 batting average, 12 RBI and 16 runs.
Three Bulldogs also earned Gold Gloves as the North Division's top fielders at a specific position. Harmonay won the honor at shorstop, Peinado received it for third base, and Armstrong at pitcher.
The Bulldogs finished the season 17-23 overall under head coach Chris Stevens. They finished fifth in the conference standings with a 9-11 mark in WSC play. Peinado won the Gold Glove at third base, Harmonay at shortstop, and Walker at pitcher.