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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University baseball team had three players named to the American Baseball Coaches Association All-West Region team this week. Junior RHP Wayde Kitchens and junior utility player Kurt Yacko were named to the first team for the second straight year and were joined by senior OF Mike Vass. In addition, a pair of Chapman infielders, senior 2B Kyle Redding and junior 1B Patrick Ohail earned West Region Rawlings Gold Glove awards. Yacko, the Division III leader in earned run average and saves, was named to the West Region first team in the utility position thanks to his pitching prowess, as well as his offensive contributions. The junior batted .352 with 10 home runs and 46 RBI for the Panthers as the team’s everyday shortstop. On the mound, the right-hander was 6-0 with a 0.66 ERA and 14 saves. He is the reigning Division III Co-Player of the Year. Another right-hander, Kitchens was the ace of the pitching staff and battled back from an early-season shoulder injury to go 8-0 with a 0.69 ERA. He pitched three shutouts and tied a school record with 17 strikeouts in a nine-inning game against the University of Dallas earlier this month. It is his second All-Region honor. Vass was an All-Big West Conference selection at U.C. Riverside as a junior and posted big numbers in his senior year at Chapman in 2008. Vass set a new school record with 14 home runs and has driven in 50 runs for the Panthers. He also leads the team with 18 stolen bases and has a .388 batting average. The Rawlings Gold Glove – established at the Division III level in 2007 – was awarded to Ohail for the second straight year at first base. The junior has committed just one error in the past two seasons and was a Division III Gold Glover in 2007. Meanwhile, Redding earned the Gold Glove for the first time, committing just six errors and posting a .972 fielding percentage at second base. |
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