SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Five Pilots were named to the 2023 Baseball All-WCC First Team on Tuesday while three more earned honorable mention. It's the most first-team selections the Pilots have ever had in a single season.
Nick Brink, Jake Holcroft, Nich Klemp, Evan Scavotto and Zach Toglia earned first-team recognition while Peter Allegro, Briley Knight and Ben Patacsil garnered honorable mention.
Brink has been one of the best pitchers in the WCC this season, currently holding a conference-best 1.90 ERA in 13 appearances with eight starts. He holds a 5-0 record and has yet to allow more than two runs in a game this season. His 1.19 WHIP also ranks third in the WCC. Brink's ERA is the eighth-best in program history and the sixth best among Pilots who have pitched more than 50 innings.
Klemp had a career year in his first as a full-time starter for the Pilots. Klemp batted .383 with 24 doubles, five home runs, 39 RBI's and 75 total hits. His 24 doubles broke a program record for doubles in a season and also ranked both first conference-wise and fourth nationally. Klemp also averaged 0.51 doubles a game to rank second in the WCC and third nationally and accumulated the second most hits in the conference. Klemp's .383 season batting average ranks ninth all-time.
Holcroft earned his second straight All-WCC First Team honor this year, becoming the first Pilot since Turner Gill in 2012 to earn multiple first-team honors over the course of their career. He batted .338 on the season with 75 hits as well as seven home runs and 40 RBI's, all career-highs. He was named WCC Player of the Week on March 20 as well. Along with Evan Scavotto, he's the first Pilot to hit 40 RBI's in a season since 2019. His 75 hits on the year also ranked second in the WCC.
Scavotto put together one of the best power-hitting seasons in recent program history, batting .303 with 10 home runs and 44 RBI's. He is the first Pilot since Danny Meier in 2006 to post at least 10 home runs and 40 RBI's in a single season. He was also one of just six players in the conference to hit that threshold. Scavotto was named WCC Player of the Week as well back on March 27.
Toglia rounds out the first-team all-conference honorees for the Pilots. Toglia was stellar at the plate for the Pilots in his first season, batting .324 with 10 home runs and 33 RBI's. He was one of 13 players in the WCC to hit double-digit home runs this season. He is the first Pilot to earn first team honors in his debut season since Turner Gill in 2011.
Allegro earned WCC recognition for the third time in his Pilot career, receiving honorable mention. He made 16 appearances with 11 starts, posting a 5.17 ERA and a 6-3 record. He set several career highs in his first season as a regular starter, setting career marks for innings pitched (69.2) and strikeouts (69). He also posted a stretch between March 5 and April 2 where he allowed no more than two runs in each start.
Knight was stellar at the plate for the Pilots, batting .324 with 20 doubles, four home runs and 39 RBI's. Knight's 20 doubles ranked third in the conference and 32
nd nationally. He also became just the fifth Pilot in program history to record at least 20 doubles in a season.
Patacsil rounds out the honorees receiving honorable mention. Patacsil batted .289 on the season and set career-highs in runs scored (41), doubles (11), slugging percentage (.395), on-base percentage (.413) and RBI's (24). It is the second time that he's earned All-WCC honors, earning honorable mention last season.
The Pilots are in the 2023 WCC Baseball Tournament, having earned a first-round bye after finishing second in the WCC for the second year in a row. They will play the winner of the first-round matchup between the San Diego Toreros and the Saint Mary's Gaels on Thursday, May 25 at 7:20 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
Below is the full list of award winners.
2023 WCC Baseball All-Conference Awards
Coach of the Year – Nathan Choate, LMU
Co-Player of the Year – Christian Almanza, Saint Mary's
Co-Player of the Year – Austin Deming, BYU
Pitcher of the Year – Diego Barrera, LMU
Freshman of the Year – Khadim Diaw, LMU
Defensive Player of the Year – Cole Roberts, LMU
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First Team All-Conference
Christian Almanza, Saint Mary's
Diego Baquiero, LMU
Diego Barrera, LMU
Nick Brink, Portland
Mario DeMera, San Francisco
Austin Deming, BYU
Jake Holcroft, Portland
Brian Kalmer, Gonzaga
Nich Klemp, Portland
Connor Linchey, Saint Mary's
Ben Nemivant, Pacific
Angelo Peraza, San Diego
Evan Scavotto, Portland
Zach Toglia, Portland
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Second Team All-Conference
Jack Basseer, Pepperdine
Khadim Diaw, LMU
Skylar Hales, Santa Clara
Blake Hammond, Santa Clara
Ryan Johnson, Pepperdine
Zach Kirby, LMU
Michael O'Hara, Santa Clara
John Peck, Pepperdine
Honorable Mention
Peter Allegro, Portland
Ariel Armas, San Diego
Merrick Baldo, LMU
Jonjon Berring, Santa Clara
Coleman Brigman, Santa Clara
Justin DeCriscio, San Diego
Cole Gambill, BYU
Briley Knight, Portland
Jeremy Lea, Pacific
Boston Mabeus, BYU
Efrain Manzo, Santa Clara
Ben Patacsil, Portland
Ryan Robinson, San Diego
Jacob Rutherford, Gonzaga
Ryan Sanders, Saint Mary's
August Souza, Santa Clara
Sam Stem, Gonzaga
Ryan Taurek, Saint Mary's
Shane Telfer, Pepperdine
All-Freshman Team
Luke Anderson, BYU
Gabriel Barrett, San Francisco
Jack Basseer, Pepperdine
John Damozonio, Saint Mary's
Nate DeSchryver, Gonzaga
Thomas Ferroggiaro, Santa Clara
Khadim Diaw, LMU
Jack Gurevitch, San Diego
Jared Mettam, Saint Mary's
Sam Stem, Gonzaga
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