WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - In a vote by the Conference coaches, ARIZONA junior shortstop
Alex Mejia has been named the 2012 Pac-12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, while OREGON senior right-handed pitcher
Alex Keudell has earned Pitcher of the Year honors. OREGON STATE freshman outfielder
Michael Conforto has been voted Freshman of the Year, and Arizona’s
Andy Lopez has been named Coach of the Year, Commissioner Larry Scott announced Wednesday.
Pac-12 Player of the Year -- Alex Mejia, ARIZONA
Mejia is the sixth Wildcat all-time to be awarded Pac-12 Player of the Year, following South Division winners Terry Francona (1980), Chip Hale (shared in 1987), and Scott Erickson and Alan Zinter (shared with each other in 1989); and Trevor Crowe, who shared the honor in 2005. From Sylmar, Calif., Mejia boasts a .357 batting average, good enough for third on the team and fifth in the Conference. The junior shortstop leads Arizona and the Pac-12 in hits with 81.
Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year -- Alex Keudell, OREGON
Keudell is the first-ever Oregon Duck to win Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year. The Portland, Ore., native set a school record for single-season wins after finishing the regular season with a 10-4 record. His 2.12 ERA leads the Oregon pitching staff and is the third-lowest among Pac-12 starting pitchers. The senior righty won two Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week awards this season and is a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist. Keudell, Oregon’s Friday-night starter, has elevated the Ducks to national rankings as high as No. 5 by Baseball America and No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball this season, and leads the team into the postseason as the No. 5 overall seed.
Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year -- Alex Mejia, ARIZONA
Mejia is the first-ever Wildcat to receive Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors. He started all 55 games this season, posting a .953 fielding percentage and a team-leading 169 assists, ranking him seventh in the Conference in that category.
Pac-12 Freshman of the Year -- Michael Conforto, OREGON STATE
Conforto is the second Beaver all-time to to be awarded Freshman of the Year, with Darwin Barney receiving the honor in 2005. The outfielder from Woodinville, Wash., leads the Pac-12 in RBI (71) and slugging percentage (.603), and is tied for first in home runs (13). His .343 batting average ranks second on his team and 11th in the Conference. Conforto also has collected 123 total bases, the second-best sum in the league.
Pac-12 Coach of the Year -- Andy Lopez, ARIZONA
Lopez is the second Arizona skipper to win Coach of the Year, succeeding Jerry Kindall, who shared the South Division award in 1980 and 1992, and won outright in 1989. Picked to finish second in the Conference, the Wildcats finished as Pac-12 Co-Champions, securing the program’s first league championship since 1992. Arizona was ranked as high as fourth in the country by Baseball America this season and never fell out of the top 15. The ‘Cats will make their eighth postseason appearance in the last 10 years under Lopez, hosting a regional for the first time since 1992.
| All-Conference Team |
| Name |
Position |
Year |
School |
| Beau Amaral |
OF |
Jr. |
UCLA |
| Mark Appel |
RHP |
Jr. |
Stanford |
| Taylor Ard (2) |
1B |
RS Jr. |
Washington State |
| David Berg |
RHP |
Fr. |
UCLA |
| Bobby Brown |
DH |
Sr. |
Arizona |
| Michael Conforto |
OF |
Fr. |
Oregon State |
| Joey DeMichele (2) |
2B |
Jr. |
Arizona State |
| Johnny Field |
OF |
So. |
Arizona |
| Jeff Gelalich |
OF |
Jr. |
UCLA |
| Scott Griggs |
RHP |
Jr. |
UCLA |
| Tyler Heineman |
C |
Jr. |
UCLA |
| Kurt Heyer (3) |
RHP |
Jr. |
Arizona |
| Derek Jones |
OF |
Sr. |
Washington State |
| Alex Keudell |
RHP |
Sr. |
Oregon |
| Deven Marrero (2) |
SS |
Jr. |
Arizona State |
| Alex Mejia (2) |
SS |
Jr. |
Arizona |
| Seth Mejias-Brean |
3B |
Jr. |
Arizona |
| Stephen Piscotty (2) |
3B |
Jr. |
Stanford |
| Adam Plutko (2) |
RHP |
So. |
UCLA |
| Robert Refsnyder (2) |
OF |
Jr. |
Arizona |
| Tony Renda (3) |
2B |
Jr. |
California |
| Brady Rodgers |
RHP |
Jr. |
Arizona State |
| Jimmie Sherfy |
RHP |
So. |
Oregon |
| Tyler Smith |
SS |
Jr. |
Oregon State |
| Trevor Williams |
RHP |
So. |
Arizona State |
| |
|
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|
| (2) - Two-time All-Conference selection |
|
|
|
| (3) - Three-time All-Conference selection |
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Honorable Mention: Chase Anselment (WASH, Jr., DH); Andrew Aplin (ASU, Jr., OF); Jake Barrett (ASU, Jr., RHP); Alex Blandino (STAN, Fr., 3B); James Brooks (UTAH, Sr., SS); Dan Child (OSU, So., RHP); Ryan Deeter (UCLA, RS So., RHP); Mitch Delfino (CAL, Jr., 1B); Ryan Dunn (OSU, Sr., 3B); Matt Flemer (CAL, Sr., RHP); Matt Foat (USC, Sr., 1B); Josh Fredendall (WASH, Jr., RHP); Jace Fry (OSU, Jr., LHP); Ryon Healy (ORE, So., 1B); Aaron Jones (ORE, So., OF); Jacob Lamb (WASH, Jr., 3B); James McDonald (ASU, So., DH); Parker Morin (UTAH, Jr., C); Aaron Payne (ORE, So., 2B); Brian Ragira (STAN, So., 1B); Jayce Ray (WASH, Jr., OF); Jake Reed (ORE, Fr., RHP); Joey Rickard (ARIZ, Jr., OF); Jake Rodriguez (OSU, So., C); Max Rossiter (ASU, Jr., C); Abe Ruiz (ASU, Sr., 1B); Eric Smith (STAN, Jr., C); Stephen Tarpley (USC, Fr., LHP), Austin Wilson (STAN, So., OF).