Rodriguez and Brown Highlight WCC Postseason Awards for Pepperdine
5/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 20, 2014
MALIBU, Calif. - The 2014 WCC All-Conference teams and awards were announced on Tuesday and Pepperdine took home five first team nods and the Pitcher and Coach of the Year awards. A total of 10 Waves were honored.
Aaron Brown and head coach Steve Rodriguez took home Pitcher and Coach of the Year and Pepperdine's five players named to the All-WCC first team was the most of any squad. In addition, the Waves had three players on the WCC All-Freshman team and two All-WCC honorable mentions.
Three Wave pitchers were named to the first team, with Brown (Chatsworth, Calif./Chatsworth HS) joining fellow starter Corey Miller (Laguna Niguel, Calif./JSerra Catholic HS) and closer Eric Karch (Fresno, Calif./Clovis West HS). Infielders Austin Davidson (Oxnard, Calif./Oxnard HS) and Hutton Moyer (San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic HS) were also named to the team.
Aaron Barnett (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley HS), Brandon Caruso (Pasadena, Calif./Loyola HS) and Manny Jefferson (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood HS) were all named to the all-freshman team. Barnett also earned All-WCC honorable mention along with Matt Maurer (Medford, Ore./North Medford HS).
The Waves played to a 36-16 overall record and an 18-9 WCC mark, winning the outright conference title this season under the direction of Rodriguez. The regular-season title was the 17th overall for the program and the fifth in Rodriguez's 11 seasons at Pepperdine. The coach of the year honor is the second of his career and the 14th for a Waves head coach. The five first team honorees this season is the highest total since 2008 for the Waves. It is also the first time in program history that Pepperdine has had three players make the WCC All-Freshman team.
The left-handed Brown led the team and WCC with a 10-1 record this year, compiling a 2.33 ERA and a .219 opponents' batting average in 92.2 innings pitched. Brown led the league with 89 strikeouts this year, while allowing just 32 walks. Also a threat at the plate, Brown was second on the team with a .319 batting average and led the league with 12 home runs through the course of the regular season. Brown is currently on the Golden Spikes Award and National Pitcher of the Year watch lists.
Miller finished the regular season with a WCC-best 1.64 ERA, going 7-4 as the Waves' Friday starter. The senior righty allowed just 18 earned runs in 98.2 innings pitched, with opponents hitting .235 against him. Miller struck out 72 batters while allowing 22 walks for a 3.27 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Miller has been on both the National Pitcher of the Year and Golden Spikes Award watch lists this season.
Also a senior, Karch served as the Waves' closer for the entirety of the regular season, posting 11 saves to lead the WCC. The right-hander posted a 2.00 ERA and a 4-1 record, striking out 20 batters in 27.0 innings pitched. Karch was named to the National Stopper of the Year watch list earlier this year.
Davidson is the only two-time all-conference selection on the list this year for the Waves after taking home the honor last season. The junior third-baseman posted a .279 average in his 51 starts this season, recording 18 extra-base hits for a .413 slugging percentage. His 31 RBI were second on the team.
Moyer rounds out the first team honorees for the Waves, grabbing the honor in his second season with the program. The Pepperdine second-baseman hit .296 on the year, tying for the lead league with 21 doubles over the course of the regular season. Moyer drove in 19 runs, scored a team-best 45 and stole 15 bases this year.
In his first season with the Waves, Barnett led the team and was third in the WCC with a .374 batting average. The freshman catcher struck out just nine times in 190 at-bats, making him the eighth toughest hitter in the country to strike out. Making 51 starts, Barnett had a .401 on-base percentage and drove in 24 runs.
A senior lefty, Maurer made 12 starts this regular season, going 4-3 with a 3.18 ERA on the mound. He allowed a .268 opponents' batting average and struck out 43 batters through his 68.0 innings pitched. Maurer also pitched five games in relief for the Waves to go along with his 12 starts.
Caruso played his best ball in the latter half of the season, running his average up to .290 in 39 starts and a total of 145 at-bats. The freshman outfielder hit all three of his home runs in the last two weeks of the season, including a walk-off homer against San Diego, and posted a total of 21 RBI.
As a freshman starter, Jefferson turned in numerous defensive gems from his spot at shortstop to go along with a .233 average and 24 RBI. Jefferson made 46 starts in his first season with the Waves, hitting one homer and nine doubles this season.
