It was announced earlier today that six University of Redlands baseball standouts made this year's D3baseball.com All-West Region Teams in an outstanding feat that doubled the Bulldogs' honorees from a year ago. Junior shortstop Aaron Singh (Anaheim, CA) makes a repeat effort by moving up from the Third Team to the First Team. While making their inaugural appearances on the All-West Region list, senior third baseman Brendan Gardiner (Mission Viejo, CA) and senior pitcher Adam Stead (Rialto, CA) also land on the First Team. Additionally, senior catcher Rainier Aguilar (San Bernardino, CA) impresses with back-to-back, Second-Team nods. Finally, senior pitcher Felix Minjarez (Riverside, CA) receives his second All-Region award with this year's Third-Team honor, while senior second baseman Will Hall (Seattle, WA) hauls in his first-ever award with a spot on the Third Team.
As a team, the Maroon and Gray takes the top spot, earning the most recipients over any school in the West with six awards, followed by Texas Lutheran University's five nods. Redlands is one of four Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) schools that accounted for 11 individuals among the All-West Region teams.
Singh collects his second-consecutive All-West Region accolade for an impressive achievement. With 21 doubles this season, Singh currently ranks second in the region and eighth in the nation. He also sits among the top three on the team in multiple categories, as highlighted by team-best marks of five triples and 29 extra-base hits. As the starting shortstop, Singh totaled 150 assists and 65 putouts for a solid .982 fielding percentage.
After becoming the 2018 SCIAC Athlete of the Year, Gardiner receives his inaugural All-West Region nod with a spot on the First Team. He reset the Redlands single-season record with 70 hits while landing among the top-10 in the region in nine categories, including 28 stolen bases and 41 walks. In addition, he has scored 57 runs, racked up 45 RBI, and recorded an impressive slugging percentage of .618.
Following his SCIAC Pitcher of the Year award, Stead collects an All-West Region First-Team nod to add to an illustrious senior season. He ranks among the top five in the West with nine wins and sits sixth with a lowly ERA of 2.12 on the season. Overall, Stead has racked up 84 strikeouts in 13 starts and has only given up 20 earned runs in 85 innings pitched.
Aguilar hauls in his second All-West Region award with this year's consecutive spot on the Second Team. He reset the Redlands record, ranks first in the West Region, and lands fifth nationally with 22 doubles on the season, with his final two coming against University of Texas-Dallas at the 2018 NCAA Division III West Regional Championship last week. Defensively, Aguilar threw out nine would-be base-stealers, racked up 292 putouts and 33 assists, and holds a .972 fielding percentage as the primary starting catcher for the Maroon and Gray.
Finally, Minjarez and Hall each receive a Third-Team nod in their final campaign with the Bulldogs. Minjarez currently ranks fourth in the West with 94 strikeouts, including a team-best 9.33 strikeouts per nine innings. As Redlands' Friday starter, he leads the Bulldogs with 90.2 innings pitched and has only given up 33 earned runs for a 7-3 overall record.
Last but certainly not least, Hall also left his mark in the Redlands history books. Not only did he record 34 stolen bases to up the Bulldog standard, he now owns the No. 1 spot in the region and sits sixth in Division III. Furthermore, he scored 60 runs on the year to lead the West Region and rank seventh in the nation. As the leadoff hitter, he racked up an incredible 65 hits in 180 at-bats. In the field, Hall executed multiple highlight-reel plays en route to 122 assists and 120 putouts for a .953 fielding percentage.
Beyond the contributions of these six standouts, the Bulldog baseball team orchestrated a remarkable season that culminated in a 33-13 overall record, a conference co-championship, a trip to the postseason, and much more.
To see the complete list of the All-West Region honorees, please visit the D3baseball.com website.