Four UCSB baseball team players were honored as All-Big West Conference players, it was announced on Tuesday.
Left-handed pitcher Mario Hollands, right-handed pitcher Jesse Meaux, shortstop Matt Valaika and catcher Marty Mullins were all named Honorable Mention selections after standout 2010 seasons.
Hollands went 5-5 with a 3.77 ERA (3-3, 4.34 ERA in conference) and ranked among the conference’s top-10 in several categories including complete games, ERA, strikeouts, innings pitched and opponents batting average. The junior from El Cerrito tied a school record this season when he struck out 16 batters in a game and was twice named as the Big West’s Pitcher of the Week.
Meaux was 8-3 with a 4.41 ERA (4-2, 4.21 in conference) and was in the conference’s top-10 in innings pitched and fewest walks. The junior from Glendale, Calif. threw two complete games this year and also had three saves, the latter tying him for the team lead.
Mullins missed most of the last month of the season due to a broken bone in his left hand, but returned with a vengeance this past weekend with three home runs and six RBI in the Gauchos’ sweep of Pacific. The senior from Los Gatos, Calif. hit .319 with a team-best eight home runs and led UCSB in slugging percentage (.566) and on-base percentage (.419). In conference games Mullins had five of his home runs.
Valaika finished his senior season hitting .301 with nine doubles, four home runs and a team-high 35 RBI. His 32 runs scored ranked third on the team as the Valencia, Calif. native also slugged .437 with a .397 on-base percentage. He batted .301 in conference games.
It is the first time since 1994 that no Gaucho was selected to either the first or second team in the Big West’s annual year-end awards. The last time UCSB didn’t have a First Team pick came in 2005.
