It was announced earlier today that five members of the University of Redlands baseball team garnered American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings® All-West Region accolades.

Junior outfielder Nate Carlson (Portland, OR) headlines this group as a recipient of the Bulldogs' sole First Team All-Region award while gaining a spot on the Gold Glove Team for outstanding defense. In addition, senior utility player/pitcher Michael Lessig (Fountain Hills, AZ) and junior pitcher Derek Johnson (Canby, OR) landed on the All-Region Second Team, with senior short stop Zack Braband (Alameda, CA) earning All-Region Third-Team laurels. Finally, senior catcher Jefre Johnson (Canby, OR) was honored with a spot on the West Region's Gold Glove Team.

This marks the inaugural All-Region awards for each of these players and the most for the Bulldog baseball team during Head Coach Scott Laverty's 11-year tenure at Redlands.

Carlson entered the Bulldog program as a first-year transfer and immediately made an impact during the 2010 campaign. During 39 games played, he posted a team-leading batting average of .450 with 58 hits, which included 13 doubles, three triples and the most home runs on the team with nine. He also scored 43 runs while pushing across 57 others. His slugging percentage of .806 led the Redlands starters by a significant margin. He also accumulated five stolen bases to go along with 57 putouts and six assists for a perfect fielding percentage.

During the Bulldogs' 29-11 campaign, Lessig split time between first base, third base and pitcher, providing stellar play at each position. On offense, he batted .357 with 30 hits, 21 runs, and 19 RBI. He posted a solid slugging percentage of .619 to rank third among the Redlands starters. He added 69 putouts and 34 assists with only three errors for a fielding percentage of .972. From the mound, Lessig served as the team's No. 1 hurler, amassing 71.1 innings pitched while earning a record of 6-3 for the Bulldogs.

D. Johnson served as the team's No. 3 starter for most of the season while racking up a team-leading 12 wins from the mound, which places him second among all of Division III for this category. In a team-leading 91.2 innings pitched, he posted an ERA of 3.04 during 15 starts while recording two complete games. With his diverse arsenal of pitches, he held opponents to a mere .286 batting average and fanned 78 batters.

Competing as a starter in all 40 games this year, Braband supplied steadiness and strength in the middle infield. He compiled a .374 batting average while racking up 55 hits to rank fourth on the team. He posted the third-most RBI with 33 and muscled out four triples to lead the Bulldogs. While shoring up the short stop position, he supplied 63 putouts and a team-high 150 assists for a fielding percentage of .947. He contributed to an astounding 29 double plays in 2010.

J. Johnson garners a spot on the West Region Gold Glove Team for his defensive prowess as the Bulldogs' top catcher. He started 35 games behind the plate and posted a nearly perfect fielding percentage of .989, which included 236 putouts and 42 assists on 281 chances. He also picked off seven runners and gunned down 15 would-be base-stealers.

The head coaches of the member schools nominate and vote on the ABCA All-West Region teams.