Six Bears Earn Pac-12 Honors

SAN FRANCISCO – California placed six student-athletes on the 2021 All-Pac-12 Baseball Team that was announced Thursday, highlighted by a trio of Golden Bears who earned first-team accolades.
 
Infielders Darren Baker and Quentin Selma, along with outfielder Dylan Beavers, were each selected to the All-Pac-12 First Team, while pitchers Sean Sullivan, Ian Villers and Josh White picked up All-Pac-12 honorable mentions. In addition, Baker – the only Division I player with 159-plus defensive assists and a fielding percentage of .988 or better – was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team for the second time in his career.

View the full list of All-Pac-12 honorees and award winners here.
 
Since 2018 under head coach Mike Neu, Cal has earned 10 All-Pac-12 First Team selections (no All-Pac-12 team in 2020 due to COVID-19).
 
For Baker, the All-Pac-12 First Team nod is the first of his decorated career. The senior second baseman posted career-highs in batting average (.327), runs (40), hits (73), stolen bases (28), walks (28) and on-base percentage (.402) while starting all 55 games for the Bears. Baker reached base safely in 54 of 55 games, had 22 multi-hit games and was eighth nationally in stolen bases at the end of the regular season.
 
Beavers emerged as one of the conference's bright young stars, leading the Pac-12 in home runs (18) in his first full collegiate season. Another Bear who started all 55 games, Beavers slashed .303/.401/.630 and led Cal in numerous categories, including OPS (1.031), runs (44), doubles (11), triples (2), RBI (49), total bases (133) and walks (32). Beavers slugged 10 of his 18 home runs in conference play and was one of just two Pac-12 players with 10-plus homers and 10-plus stolen bases.
 
Selma led all Pac-12 players with 11 home runs in conference play en route to his second career first-team selection. His 15 total home runs were tied for the third-most, while his 47 RBI and 43 runs ranked 11th and 15th in the Pac-12. While manning the hot corner defensively, Selma anchored Cal's lineup primarily in the No. 4 spot, slashing .291/.368/.544.
 
Sullivan, Villers and White led a Cal pitching staff that ranked toward the top of the conference. Sullivan (4-5, 3.68 ERA), was one of eight Pac-12 pitchers to start 15 games and ranked 10th with 75 strikeouts. He posted a 1.28 WHIP and a .252 average against in 78.1 innings pitched.
 
Villers (4-1, 2.84 ERA) logged 36 strikeouts in 38.0 innings while making the Pac-12's fourth-most appearances (28). Along with excelling across all of conference play – he allowed just three earned runs in 18 innings – Villers was even better in 11 appearances against the Pac-12's six NCAA Tournament teams, posting a 1-0 record, 2.25 ERA and .261 average against.
 
White (5-3, 2.79 ERA) owned the conference's third-lowest ERA, struck out 81 batters and limited batters to a .213 average against while making 16 total appearances on the mound. After opening the season with 11 relief appearances, both in long relief and as a closer, White made a seamless transition into the front of Cal's weekend rotation in the thick of Pac-12 play. He struck out five-plus in eight appearances.
 
All-Pac-12 Team: Darren Baker, Infield; Dylan Beavers, Outfield; Quentin Selma, Infield
All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention: Sean Sullivan, Pitcher; Ian Villers, Pitcher; Josh White, Pitcher
Pac-12 All-Defensive Team: Darren Baker, Infield