The Lewis-Clark State College baseball team led the way with seven selections to the All-NAIA West team, which was announced on Monday.
The Warriors, ranked No. 1 in the NAIA at 47-3, had three position players, three pitchers and a designated hitter honored. Another player, Josh Ashenbrenner, was selected to the All-Gold Glove Team.
The eight coaches from the teams in the NAIA West along with LCSC coach Ed Cheff nominated players and voted on the team. College of Idaho was next with six players, including the Player of the Year in third baseman Diego Robles, while the University of British Columbia had two and Simpson and Oregon Tech had one each.
Brian Gaylord, a junior from La Mirada, Calif., Brian Burke, a senior from Lancaster, Calif., and Kawika Emsley-Pail, a junior from Mill Creek, Wash., were the three position players selected to the team for LCSC, joining pitchers Colby Hawk, a senior from Boise, Tyler Knigge, a junior from Lewiston, and Henry Buenrostro, a senior from Santa Ana, Calif. Senior Pat Murray from Huntington Beach, Calif., was chosen at the designated hitter.
Gaylord, a first baseman, hit .367 during the season and led the Warriors with 22 doubles and was fourth on the team with seven home runs. He finished the season with 62 hits and 30 of them went for extra bases. He was second on the team in at bats, third in runs scored, and second in hits. He has a .633 slugging percentage and a .435 on-base percentage.
Burke, who was a first-team NAIA All American last year at Kansas Wesleyan, played some at catcher but mostly at third base this season. He hit .384 and led the team in games played (49) and games started (45). He also led the team with 16 home runs, 65 RBI, and 73 hits, and was second with 48 runs scored and 18 doubles. He had a team-best .732 slugging percentage.
Emsley-Pai, a catcher, battled some back problems this season, which limited him to 37 games. Still he hit .352 with 11 doubles and three home runs. He drew a team-high 25 walks and was hit by nine pitches, which ranked third on the team. His on-base percentage of .500 ranked second for the Warriors.
Murray had a strong senior season, bouncing back after an injury last year. He hit .364 with 15 doubles and tied for second on the team with nine home runs and 48 RBI. He had a .649 slugging percentage.
Hawk, a right-hander, posted a 7-0 record and a 2.15 earned run average. He started 10 of the 12 games he appeared in, which ranked second on the team, and pitched 46 innings, which was fourth on the squad. He allowed 52 hits and 11 earned runs, and struck out 23 with 14 walks.
Knigge went a team-best 8-0 with a 2.16 ERA. He made a team-high 11 starts and threw 50 innings, which was second on the team. He allowed 12 earned runs and 13 walks, but struck out 60, which also led the team. Opponents hit just .212 against him.
Buenrostro, a right-hander, set the LCSC single-season save mark with 10 after positing a 6-0 mark with a 1.64 ERA. He appeared in a team-leading 21 games and threw 44 innings, allowing just eight earned runs. He also had excellent command with just nine walks compared to 48 strikeouts. Opponents hit .244 against him.
Ashenbrenner, a senior from Kirkland, Wash., earned Gold Glove honors at third base, although he played shortstop and second base as well this year. He made only five errors, and led the team with 116 assists. He had a fielding percentage of .972.
All first-team members are now eligible for NAIA All-America honors. Those honors will be announced on June 3.
UBC coach Terry McKaig was selected the Coach of the Year.
Player of the Year: Diego Robles, 3B, College of Idaho
Coach of the Year: Terry McKaig, University of British Columbia
All-NAIA West:
Brian Gaylord Lewis-Clark State 1B Jr. La Mirada, CA
Shane Battles Simpson 2B Jr. Anderson, CA
Diego Robles College of Idaho 3B Sr. Caldwell, ID
Sammie Starr British Columbia SS Sr. Toronto, Ontario
Brian Burke Lewis-Clark State IF Sr. Lancaster, CA
Izaac Garsez College of Idaho OF So. Caldwell, ID
Jared Arehart College of Idaho OF Sr. Idaho Falls, ID
Cory Staniforth Oregon Tech OF Jr. Central Point, OR
Kyle Douglas College of Idaho OF Jr. Post Falls, ID
Kawika Emsley-Pai Lewis-Clark State C Jr. Mill Creek, WA
Jarel Lewis College of Idaho C Fr. Boise, ID
Ben Rosen College of Idaho P Sr. Eagle River, AK
Colby Hawk Lewis-Clark State P Sr. Boise, ID
Tyler Knigge Lewis-Clark State P Jr. Lewiston, ID
Sheldon McDonald British Columbia P Jr. Spruce Grove, Alberta
Henry Buenrostro Lewis-Clark State RP Sr. Santa Ana, CA
Pat Murray Lewis-Clark State DH Sr. Huntington Beach, CA
Gold Glove Team:
Name Institution Pos. Class Hometown
Andrew Reid Concordia 1B Sr. Keizer, OR
Alex White British Columbia 2B Sr. Richmond, B.C.
Josh Ashenbrenner Lewis-Clark State 3B Sr. Kirkland, WA
Sammie Starr British Columbia SS Sr. Toronto, Ontario
Jared Arehart College of Idaho LF Sr. Idaho Falls, ID
Kory Locken Oregon Tech CF So. Phoenix, OR
Blake Carruthers British Columbia RF Fr. Calgary, Alberta
Jordan Lanman College of Idaho C Jr. La Grande, OR
Mark Hardy British Columbia P Sr. Campbell River, B.C.
