SPOKANE, Wash. — Gonzaga baseball's season may be over, but RHP Gabriel Hughes keeps bringing home accolades for a dominant season as the Bulldogs' ace.
Hughes was named a Second Team All-American by the NCBWA and First Team All-West Region by ABCA/Rawlings, following up on a First Team All-America nod from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper two weeks ago.
The honor makes it back-to-back years that a GU player has been on the list after Brett Harris and Alek Jacob both made First Team All-West in 2021. This is also the second year in a row that Hughes has picked up All-American recognition from at least one outlet, having been named a Freshman All-American by Baseball America following the 2021 season.
The Zags' Friday guy finished the season ninth in the nation with 138 strikeouts. GU won 11 of 15 games in which he has started, and he led the staff in strikeouts and innings pitched with 98.
Three weeks ago, Hughes made the cut as a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist, given yearly to the top amateur baseball player in the country regardless of division. His three WCC Pitcher of the Week Awards this year are the most of any single WCC pitcher this season, and he was named NWBCA Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 14-20 after a hitless six-inning performance against Pacific on March 18 that saw him strike out a career-high 13 batters with just one walk. Projected by many as a first round pick in July's MLB Draft by MLB.com, Hughes was ranked No. 26 amongst the nation's draft-eligible college prospects by D1Baseball.com and projected to go as high as No. 13 in ESPN's latest mock draft.
The 2022 MLB Draft will take begin on July 17 in Los Angeles, with Hughes as one of four Zag pitchers projected to go within the top 150 picks. The event will be broadcast on MLB Network — follow @zagbaseball on Instagram and Twitter for live updates, highlights and more.
