Photo by: Nicholas Domiano
BSB: Eight Zags Named WCC All-Academic
6/18/2021 10:21:00 AM | Baseball
Harris, Orzel and Sterling selected WCC All-Academic First Team
SAN MATEO, Calif. – Eight Gonzaga baseball players were selected West Coast Conference All-Academic, as announced by the league office Friday morning. Three Zags—Brett Harris, Andrew Orzel and Grayson Sterling—were selected WCC All-Academic First Team while Gabriel Hughes, Alek Jacob, Jack Machtolf, Guthrie Morrison and Michael Spellacy were each named Honorable Mention.
The honor was the first career First Team selection for Harris, Orzel and Sterling. Harris, who graduated with a degree in special education with a 3.49 cumulative GPA this past May, finished the season with 63 putouts and 89 assists on 149 total chances while turning 14 double plays, good for a .966 fielding percentage. The Arlington, Ill., native was superb at the plate as well, leading the Zags in batting average (.350), OPS (1.027), runs (52) and hits (70).
In his first season with GU, Orzel started 52 games for the Zags—most often at first base—and finished the season ranked third in batting average a .286. In 189 at-bats, Orzel tallied 54 hits, 38 RBI, 30 runs and three homers with a .413 slugging percentage. On the field, the Newark, Del., native finished the season with 247 putouts and 53 assists with a .990 fielding percentage, turning 27 double plays in the process. This year, Orzel carried a 3.95 cumulative GPA while pursuing his master's degree in communication and leadership studies.
Sterling, a 6-foot-3 third-year freshman out of Boise, Idaho, ranked fourth on the squad in batting average at .282. The multi-position Zag saw action in 49 games on the season, starting 41, finishing with 40 hits, 23 RBI and 27 runs with eight doubles, one triple and three home runs. On the field, Sterling collected 53 putouts with one assist for a .982 fielding percentage.
The honorable mention nod is the first career all-academic honor for right-handed pitcher Hughes. Despite missing the last month of the season due to injury, Hughes hit .247 with four doubles, three homers and 12 RBI. On the mound, he was 4-3 overall as the Zags' Saturday starter with a 3.23 ERA, striking out 67 batters with 30 walks in a total of 61.1 innings of work.
Zags' ace Jacob also collected his first career all-academic honor with his honorable mention nod. In 85.2 innings on the season in 17 appearances, the 6-foot-3 righty came away with three saves as a reliver and eight wins as a starter, most recently with a complete game shutout over LSU in the first game of the Eugene Regional. Jacob also became just the fifth Zag in history to record a no-hitter, accomplishing the feat against Pepperdine on April 16 with 12 strikeouts in GU's 10-0 win. His 112 strikeouts rank eighth all time in a single season, and he closed the 2021 slate with a 2.52 ERA. Jacob is working toward a degree in business administration and carries a 3.28 cumulative GPA.
For Machtolf, the honorable mention honor is the first all-academic honor of his career. At the plate, Machtolf finished with 23 RBI and 44 hits with nine doubles, one triple and one home run with a .240 batting average. The Nine Mile Falls, Wash., native started all 53 games in left field, finishing with 64 putouts with a single error for a .985 fielding percentage. He carries a 3.42 cumulative GPA in organizational leadership.
Morrison started all 53 games for the Zags this season at center field, finishing with 131 putouts on 134 chances with two assists for a .993 fielding percentage. Behind the plate, the Seattle, Wash., native ranked fifth on the squad with a .278 batting average, finishing the season with 24 RBI off 60 hits with 12 doubles, two triples and one home run.
Spellacy collects his third career all-academic honor and the first honorable mention nod of his career. The 5'11 righty was selected First Team All-Academic in both 2020 and 2019, and earlier this year, Spellacy was selected as Gonzaga's Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. This season, Spellacy ranked third on the team with a 3.62 ERA and carried a 3-2 overall record on the mound. In 20 appearances and 54.2 innings pitched, the Tacoma, Wash., native recorded 39 strikeouts while walking 19 batters.
No fewer than 59 baseball student-athletes qualified for academic honors. More than 30 posted a GPA of at least 3.50, while 19 posted marks of 3.75 or better.
At the conclusion of each athletic season, the WCC selects an all-academic squad for each WCC-sponsored sport. To be considered, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, while also being a significant contributor to his team.
2021 WCC BASEBALL ALL-ACADEMIC FIRST TEAM
The honor was the first career First Team selection for Harris, Orzel and Sterling. Harris, who graduated with a degree in special education with a 3.49 cumulative GPA this past May, finished the season with 63 putouts and 89 assists on 149 total chances while turning 14 double plays, good for a .966 fielding percentage. The Arlington, Ill., native was superb at the plate as well, leading the Zags in batting average (.350), OPS (1.027), runs (52) and hits (70).
In his first season with GU, Orzel started 52 games for the Zags—most often at first base—and finished the season ranked third in batting average a .286. In 189 at-bats, Orzel tallied 54 hits, 38 RBI, 30 runs and three homers with a .413 slugging percentage. On the field, the Newark, Del., native finished the season with 247 putouts and 53 assists with a .990 fielding percentage, turning 27 double plays in the process. This year, Orzel carried a 3.95 cumulative GPA while pursuing his master's degree in communication and leadership studies.
Sterling, a 6-foot-3 third-year freshman out of Boise, Idaho, ranked fourth on the squad in batting average at .282. The multi-position Zag saw action in 49 games on the season, starting 41, finishing with 40 hits, 23 RBI and 27 runs with eight doubles, one triple and three home runs. On the field, Sterling collected 53 putouts with one assist for a .982 fielding percentage.
The honorable mention nod is the first career all-academic honor for right-handed pitcher Hughes. Despite missing the last month of the season due to injury, Hughes hit .247 with four doubles, three homers and 12 RBI. On the mound, he was 4-3 overall as the Zags' Saturday starter with a 3.23 ERA, striking out 67 batters with 30 walks in a total of 61.1 innings of work.
Zags' ace Jacob also collected his first career all-academic honor with his honorable mention nod. In 85.2 innings on the season in 17 appearances, the 6-foot-3 righty came away with three saves as a reliver and eight wins as a starter, most recently with a complete game shutout over LSU in the first game of the Eugene Regional. Jacob also became just the fifth Zag in history to record a no-hitter, accomplishing the feat against Pepperdine on April 16 with 12 strikeouts in GU's 10-0 win. His 112 strikeouts rank eighth all time in a single season, and he closed the 2021 slate with a 2.52 ERA. Jacob is working toward a degree in business administration and carries a 3.28 cumulative GPA.
For Machtolf, the honorable mention honor is the first all-academic honor of his career. At the plate, Machtolf finished with 23 RBI and 44 hits with nine doubles, one triple and one home run with a .240 batting average. The Nine Mile Falls, Wash., native started all 53 games in left field, finishing with 64 putouts with a single error for a .985 fielding percentage. He carries a 3.42 cumulative GPA in organizational leadership.
Morrison started all 53 games for the Zags this season at center field, finishing with 131 putouts on 134 chances with two assists for a .993 fielding percentage. Behind the plate, the Seattle, Wash., native ranked fifth on the squad with a .278 batting average, finishing the season with 24 RBI off 60 hits with 12 doubles, two triples and one home run.
Spellacy collects his third career all-academic honor and the first honorable mention nod of his career. The 5'11 righty was selected First Team All-Academic in both 2020 and 2019, and earlier this year, Spellacy was selected as Gonzaga's Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. This season, Spellacy ranked third on the team with a 3.62 ERA and carried a 3-2 overall record on the mound. In 20 appearances and 54.2 innings pitched, the Tacoma, Wash., native recorded 39 strikeouts while walking 19 batters.
No fewer than 59 baseball student-athletes qualified for academic honors. More than 30 posted a GPA of at least 3.50, while 19 posted marks of 3.75 or better.
At the conclusion of each athletic season, the WCC selects an all-academic squad for each WCC-sponsored sport. To be considered, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, while also being a significant contributor to his team.
2021 WCC BASEBALL ALL-ACADEMIC FIRST TEAM
| Name | School | Class | GPA | Major |
| Landen Bourassa | San Francisco | Gr. | 3.80 | Sport Management |
| Cole Gambill | BYU | Jr. | 3.95 | Business Finance |
| Brett Harris | Gonzaga | Jr. | 3.49 | Special Education |
| Ryan Kawano | LMU | Sr. | 3.93 | Business Administration |
| Thomas Luevano* | San Diego | Gr. | 3.74 | Leadership Studies |
| Ryan Novis** | Saint Mary's | Gr. | 3.76 | Master of Business Administration |
| Andrew Orzel | Gonzaga | Sr. | 3.95 | Communication and Leadership Studies |
| Christian Peters* | Portland | Sr. | 3.67 | Finance |
| Alex Pham | San Francisco | Jr. | 3.47 | Finance |
| JC Santini | Saint Mary's | Jr. | 3.83 | Business Administration |
| Eric Smelko | Saint Mary's | So. | 3.80 | Psychology |
| Grayson Sterling | Gonzaga | So. | 3.83 | Economics-Arts; Psychology |
| Chad Stevens* | Portland | Jr. | 3.78 | Finance |
| *Previous first team appearance | ||||
| Honorable Mention | ||||
| BYU | ||||
| Freddy Achecar | ||||
| Bryan Call | ||||
| Payton Cole | ||||
| Joshua Cowden | ||||
| Hayden Leatham | ||||
| Cooper McKeehan | ||||
| Andrew Pintar | ||||
| Easton Walker | ||||
| Gonzaga | ||||
| Gabriel Hughes | ||||
| Alek Jacob | ||||
| Jack Machtolf | ||||
| Guthrie Morrison | ||||
| Michael Spellacy | ||||
| LMU | ||||
| Tommy Delgado | ||||
| Dylan Dennis | ||||
| Mason Kokodynski | ||||
| Sean Paquet | ||||
| Pacific | ||||
| Michael Defelippi | ||||
| Jeremy Lea | ||||
| Alex LeForestier | ||||
| Charles Middleton | ||||
| Luke Price | ||||
| Hunter Schilperoort | ||||
| Jackson Vaughan | ||||
| Pepperdine | ||||
| Joe Caparis | ||||
| Cooper Chandler | ||||
| Billy Cook | ||||
| Trevor Franklin | ||||
| Gunnar Groen | ||||
| Michael Mahony | ||||
| Aharon Modlin | ||||
| Portland | ||||
| Peter Allegro | ||||
| Brett Gillis | ||||
| Hunter Montgomery | ||||
| Eli Morse | ||||
| Nate Packard | ||||
| Saint Mary's | ||||
| Jackson Hulett | ||||
| Nick Mistone | ||||
| Chris Santiago | ||||
| Liam Steigerwald | ||||
| San Diego | ||||
| Paul Kunst | ||||
| Adam Lopez | ||||
| San Francisco | ||||
| Brandon Greim | ||||
| Bo Jelinek | ||||
| Kyle Knell | ||||
| Thomas McCarthy | ||||
| Josh Mollerus | ||||
| Grant Nechak | ||||
| Julian Washburn | ||||
| Jacob Westerman | ||||
| Jack Winkler | ||||
| Grant Young | ||||
| Santa Clara | ||||
| Tony Boetto | ||||
| Mike Bowes | ||||
| Coleman Brigman | ||||
| Brandon Buckley | ||||
| Jason Dicochea | ||||
| Freddie Erlandson | ||||
| Jared Feikes | ||||
| Travis Howard | ||||
| Matt Jew | ||||
| Cole Kitchen | ||||
| Eamonn Lance | ||||
| Jake MacNichols | ||||
| Ryan McCarthy | ||||
| Matthew McGarry | ||||
| Michael O'Hara | ||||
| Austin Reyes | ||||
| Nick Sando | ||||
| Alex Waldsmith |
Players Mentioned
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