Four Bruins Earn Freshman All-America Accolades
LOS ANGELES – An NCAA-high four members of the UCLA baseball team received Freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball on Wednesday.
UCLA's All-American contingent included left-handed pitcher Ethan Flanagan, second baseman Ethan Gourson, shortstop Cody Schrier, and right-handed pitcher Alonzo Tredwell.
The Bruins' four picks were the most in single-season program history, and were the most of any NCAA team in the country. Only three other programs (Tennessee, Oregon State, Indiana) mustered three selections.
Flanagan was one of the most flexible and effective pitchers on the UCLA staff this season, finishing with a 3-0 record, 3.28 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 60 1 /3 innings over 25 appearances. The southpaw was a dominant swingman in the first half of the season – giving up just run over his first nine appearances and recording a pair of saves – before settling into the Saturday starter role down the stretch. Flanagan had a season-high eight strikeouts in just 3 2/3 innings in his NCAA debut against Pepperdine on Feb. 22, combined with Thatcher Hurd for a 19-strikeout one-hitter against Long Beach State on Mar. 1, and went four innings without allowing an earned run in UCLA's NCAA Regional game against Southeastern Louisiana on Jun. 4.
Gourson made an immediate impact with the bat in 2022, slashing .294/.439/.455 to lead the team in OBP and OPS (.894) while setting a freshman program record for single-season doubles (23). The Pac-12 leader in two-baggers, he was the lone player in the conference to rank top-10 league-wide in doubles, hit by pitch (19, second), and walks (43, eighth). The San Diego, Calif. native was a member of the inaugural All-Pac-12 Tournament Team after going 10-23 with two six RBIs.
Schrier was a top-of-the-order force for the Bruins, slashing .298/.383/.492 with a team-high nine home runs. His nine bombs were the most by a UCLA freshman since 2010. Schrier hit safely in 11 straight games from Apr. 15 to May 3, the longest streak of any Bruin this season. Particular standout efforts with the bat included a four-hit, six-RBI effort against Harvard on Mar. 18, a walk-off homer against Loyola Marymount on Apr. 5, and a Pac-12 Player of the Week award after going 6-13 with nine RBIs against Arizona State from Apr. 29 to May 1.
UCLA's closer, Tredwell went 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA and six saves over 25 appearances. One of the top zone-fillers on the squad, Tredwell struck out 62 batters against just six walks in 47 innings. The Coto de Caza, Calif. native had a sub-2.00 ERA for most of the season, and he finished with the best ERA on the squad (among pitchers with 35+ IP). Standout outings include Feb. 22 (seven strikeouts in just 2 2/3 innings), Mar. 6 (three inning of one hit-ball against then-No. 1 Texas), and May 3 (six strikeouts, no hits over 3 1/3 innings at Long Beach State).
Stay tuned to @UCLABaseball on Twitter for all team updates.