May 31, 2011
TUCSON, Ariz. - Six Arizona baseball players were named to the All-Conference Team by the Pacific-10 Conference on Tuesday. Included were pitchers Kurt Heyer and Kyle Simon, who joined position players Cole Frenzel, Alex Mejia, Robert Refsnyder and Joey Rickard on the 25-player team.
The six Wildcats were the most for any single school, followed closely by five from Arizona State and three each from UCLA, Oregon State and California. The six selections were the most for Arizona since also putting six on the Pac-10 South All-Conference Team in 1993.
Heyer, a sophomore right-hander, earned his second-straight All-Conference honor. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native posted an 8-3 record with a 2.32 ERA in 18 regular season starts. He racked up 127 strikeouts, which ranked second in the Pac-10 and checked in third-most in the nation. He issued just 24 walks in 124.0 innings, which was the third-highest total in the country. He had two complete games.
Simon picked up his first career All-Conference accolade. The Los Alamitos, Calif., native became the school's first 10-game winner since 2007 with a 10-3 record to go with a 2.93 ERA. The 6-foot-5 right-hander registered a career-high 80 strikeouts on the season against just 11 walks. He tossed 119.2 innings - the sixth-most in the country - during the regular season. He had four complete games.
Heyer and Simon formed one of the top pitching duos in the nation this year as each they combined to throw more innings than any two starting pitcher's from a single school in the regular season. Together, they have an 18-6 record and a 2.62 earned run average. They struck out 207 batters against 35 combined walks, nearly a 6:1 ratio, and threw six complete games.
Frenzel was named to the All-Conference Team in his second season as a Wildcat. The sophomore first baseman led the Wildcats and finished second in the Pac-10 with a .365 batting average. His .477 on base percentage topped all league players, and he was just one of three to collect at least 40 RBI and 40 runs scored on the season. A native of Dickinson, N.D., Frenzel reached base safely with a hit, a walk or a hit-by-pitch in the first 39 games of the season, which extended an overall streak to 59 games and tie Todd Trafton's school record held since the 1984-85 seasons.
Mejia was also tabbed on the All-Conference Team for the first time as a sophomore shortstop. The Sylmar, Calif., native led the Wildcats with a .369 batting average over the course of the 27-game Pac-10 schedule, and his .346 clip overall finished No. 6 in the league. Mejia strung together a 14-game hitting streak down the stretch and was a key part of the Arizona defense that turned a Pac-10-high 31 double plays during league games.
Rickard earned his first career All-Conference honor after leading becoming the only Pac-10 player with more than 80 base hits during the regular season. The Las Vegas, Nev., native's .360 batting average ranked No. 4 in the league, while his .425 on-base percentage was third-best. Rickard, who roamed the spacious Kindall Field as a centerfielder, scored the third-most runs (45) and had the fourth-most stolen bases (15) of any Pac-10 player.
Refsnyder became the fifth Wildcat to earn All-Conference recognition for the first time. A Laguna Hills, Calif, native, Refsnyder was one of Pac-10 three players to post 40 runs scored and 40 RBI on the season. The sophomore finished second in the league with 53 runs batted in, 30 of which came over the 27-game conference slate. Refsnyder, who made most of his 55 starts in right field, led the Wildcats with 24 extra base hits on the season, including 12 doubles, six home runs and six triples.
Senior second baseman Bryce Ortega and junior left-hand pitcher Matt Chaffee were named honorable mention. Ortega led all Pac-10 players with 54 runs scored and finished second with 24 stolen bases. Chaffee, who tallied seven saves on the year, recorded six saves in Pac-10 play, which was the second-highest total.
UCLA pitcher Trevor Bauer was named the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year, while California second baseman Tony Renda was named the Player of the Year. Arizona State's Deven Marrero was the league's Defensive Player of the Year and Stanford's Brian Ragira was tabbed Freshman of the Year. Oregon State's Pat Casey was named Coach of the Year.
Arizona (36-19, 15-12 Pac-10) finished fourth in the Pac-10, thanks to a hot finish to the season. The Wildcats won 12 of their final 15 games overall, including a 9-3 mark in their last 12 conference games.
The Wildcats are set to play in the College Station Regional this weekend (June 3-6). Arizona, the No. 2 seed, opens play against No. 3 seed Seton Hall on Friday at Texas A&M's Olsen Field. First pitch is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. (CDT).
