Jacob Hannemann was named West Coast Conference Freshman of the year and four Cougars were named to the All-WCC squad, putting an exclamation mark on the end of a solid BYU baseball season.
“The season Jacob Hannemann had speaks for itself, this team goes as Jacob goes,” head coach Mike Littlewood said. “Jacob is a dynamic athlete and it’s been fun to just sit back and watch him do his thing. I’m excited to see what the future will bring him and I’m grateful the other coaches recognized his great season.”
Outfielders Jaycob Brugman and Hannemann were joined by infielders Adam Law and Brock Whitney on the all-conference team. Pitchers Matt Milke and Desmond Poulson, as well as shortstop Hayden Nielsen received all-conference honorable mention honors.
Hannemann and Nielsen were two of 10 freshmen to be placed on the All-WCC Freshman team.
The Cougars (32–21, 15–9 WCC) finished the season in third place in the conference standings, making their first appearance in the WCC tournament. BYU beat top-seeded Gonzaga but was later eliminated by eventual tournament champion San Diego. Brugman and pitcher Jeff Barker were named to the all-tournament team after leading the team to a strong showing. The Cougars were considered strong contenders for an NCAA tournament bid, but ultimately did not get the invite.
“I’m extremely happy for all of our players who were recognized for their tremendous seasons,” Littlewood said. “Each one of them has consistently gotten timely hits, played great defense and were a stabilizing force for our team. This team would not have had the success it’s had without each one of these guys rising to the occasion.”
Law and designated hitter Bret Lopez were named to the WCC All-Academic team. Law is majoring in sociology and carries a 3.29 GPA and Lopez is an exercise science major with a 3.28 GPA.
The Cougars look to return a strong squad next season as they will lose just three seniors and several players to missions next year, but the team could see more change depending on the upcoming Major League Baseball Draft June 6–8.
