Baseball

Nilsen, Fleming Voted Division II West Region Player, Pitcher of Year

by Jonathan Gordon, Central Washington Sports Information Director

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Central Washington shortstop Jamie Nilsen and Cal State Stanislaus right-hander Marquis Fleming have been voted as the Daktronics Division II West Region Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively.

Nilsen, a senior, batted .468 with 10 home runs, 59 runs batted in, and 18 stolen bases in helping the Wildcats to a 30-21 overall record and second-place finish in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). Along the way, the two-time GNAC Player of the Year set five single-season conference records including batting average, slugging percentage (.780), onbase percentage (.557), total bases (145), and hit by pitch (25). Nilsen also finished the regular season as the GNAC leader in hits, runs scored, and RBI.

Fleming, also a senior, enters this weekend's NCAA Division II West Region tournament with an 11-4 record and 2.36 earned-run average. A five-time selection as California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Pitcher of the Week this season, Fleming has five shutouts and 112 strikeouts in 107 innings while limiting opposing hitters to a .185 batting average.

Four schools - Mesa State, Metro State, Sonoma State, and UC San Diego - had two selections each to the 15-player first team. A total of 11 institutions were represented on the allregion first team, and 16 total schools had at least one first- or second-team selection.

Metro State catcher Reece Gorman was named to the Daktronics all-region first team for the second consecutive season after leading the Roadrunners to a 38-19 record. Gorman batted .417 with seven home runs and 62 runs batted in, scoring 81 runs and stealing 23 bases in 56 games.

Two players who received Daktronics second-team recognition in 2007 appeared again on the 2008 all-region teams. Cal State L.A. pitcher Isaac Morales and Central Washington pitcher Tyler Levin, both of which were second team all-region selections last season, were named to this year's first- and second-team, respectively.

In addition to Fleming, Gorman, and Nilsen, other first team position players were first baseman Curtis Englehart (Mesa State), second baseman Garrett Imeson (UC San Diego), third baseman Kyle Hogue (Mesa State), outfielders Dylan Bruck (Western Oregon), Kyle Gerhart (New Mexico Highlands), and Jake Palmer (Metro State). Designated hitter Dan Kozloski (Regis) and utility player Ian Bridges (Sonoma State) also received first team recognition among position players. Bridges was also the conference Player of the Year in the CCAA.

Joining Fleming and Morales as first team selections at pitcher were Hawai'i Pacific senior Kaimi Mead and Sonoma State senior Matt Means. UC San Diego closer Keith Noe was chosen as the top relief pitcher in the region.

Each of the first-team all-region players will now be listed on the Daktronics Division II Baseball All-American ballot, with the announcement of those All-American teams expected next Thursday, May 22.

2008 DAKTRONICS DIVISION II BASEBALL ALL-WEST REGION TEAMS

Player of the Year: Jamie Nilsen, Sr., Central Washington
Pitcher of the Year: Marquis Fleming, Sr., Cal State Stanislaus

FIRST TEAM

Catcher: *Reece Gorman, Metro State (Sr., Parker, Colo.). First Base: Curtis Englehart, Mesa State (Sr., Delta, Colo.). Second Base: Garrett Imeson, UC San Diego (Jr., Stockton, Calif.). Third Base: Kyle Hogue, Mesa State (Sr., Loveland, Colo.). Shortstop: Jamie Nilsen, Central Washington (Sr., Federal Way, Wash.). Outfield: Dylan Bruck, Western Oregon (Sr., Wilsonville, Ore.); Kyle Gerhart, New Mexico Highlands (Sr., Gustine, Calif.); Jake Palmer, Metro State (Sr., Montrose, Calif.). Designated Hitter: Dan Kozloski, Regis (Sr., Littleton, Colo.). Utility: Ian Bridges, Sonoma State (Jr., Valencia, Calif.). Starting Pitchers: Marquis Fleming, Cal State Stanislaus (Sr., Oakland, Calif.); Kaimi Mead, Hawai'i Pacific (Sr., Honolulu, Hawai'i); Matt Means, Sonoma State (Sr., Mountain View, Calif.); #Isaac Morales, Cal State L.A. (Jr., South Gate, Calif.). Relief Pitcher: Keith Noe, UC San Diego (Sr., San Diego, Calif.).

SECOND TEAM

Catcher: Zach Aakhus, Northwest Nazarene (Sr., Bakersfield, Calif.). First Base: Jason Klug, Cal State San Bernardino (Sr., Moreno Valley, Calif.). Second Base: David Adler, Sonoma State (Sr., Thousand Oaks, Calif.). Third Base: Shane Schoeneberg, Saint Martin's (Sr., Kennewick, Wash.). Shortstop: Mike Provencher, Mesa State (Jr., El Paso, Texas). Outfield: Thomas Cordova, Colorado State-Pueblo (Jr., Whittier, Calif.); Travon Jackson, New Mexico Highlands (Sr., Apple Valley, Calif.); Kyle Loretelli, Cal State Stanislaus (Jr., Modesto, Calif.). Designated Hitter: Matt Miller, Mesa State (Sr., Orange, Calif.). Utility: Evan Kehoe, UC San Diego (Fr., San Diego, Calif.). Starting Pitchers: Kevin Asselin, Sonoma State (Sr., Redwood City, Calif.); #Tyler Levin, Central Washington (Sr., Everett, Wash.); Matt Long, Cal State San Bernardino (Sr., Woodland, Calif.); Mike Robbins, Chico State (Jr., Sylmar, Calif.). Relief Pitcher: Tim Shibuya, UC San Diego (Fr., San Diego, Calif.).

* First team selection in 2007 ... # Second team selection in 2007