Baseball well represented on Preseason All-HBCUAC Teams
The defending regular season conference champion Wiley University baseball team landed eight of its nine starters on the Preseason All-Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) First and Second Teams, the conference announced on Friday.
The Wildcats went 29-21 last season and won the regular season conference title with an 18-3 record. They finished runner-up in the 2024 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Baseball Championship Tournament. The teams were determined by nominations and votes by the HBCUAC head baseball coaches.
Five players claimed six spots on the First Team. Ryan Ready, who won 2024 GCAC Newcomer of the Year and earned Second Team All-Conference and All-Tournament Team, garnered a First Team selection at third base and designated hitter. He ranked second in the conference with 10 home runs, 65 runs batted in and third in batting average at .375.
Starting pitcher Keyon Guillory was named 2024 GCAC Pitcher and Freshman of the Year and earned First Team All-Conference. He went 7-1 during conference play and pitched three shutouts. He ranked second in the conference with 95 strikeouts.
Right fielder Jhan Carlos Javier earned First Team All-Conference for the second straight season. He ranked second in the conference with a .393 batting average, fourth with seven home runs and ranked in the top 10 with 44 runs and 35 RBI.
Second baseman Amir Mason earned First Team All-Conference and All-Tournament last season. He hit .336 with 37 runs and 27 RBI. Mason ranked in the top 10 of the conference with 48 hits and 25 stolen bases. He helped turn 14 double plays, which was fifth in the conference.
Outfielder Eddie Garza finished fifth in the conference with 39 stolen bases. He was third with a .500 on-base percentage. He hit .313 with 13 RBI and 49 runs, which ranks fifth in the conference.
Wiley claimed four spots on the second team. Catcher Brendan Mendoza was a Second Team All-Conference selection last season. He hit .284 with 13 RBIs and hit a home run. His defensive prowess drew the attention of the conference coaches, ranking sixth in the conference with 13 runners caught stealing.
First baseman Ivan Del Villar was a First Team All-Conference selection at designated hitter and a Second Team All-Conference first baseman. He led the GCAC with 12 home runs and had three games with multiple blasts. Del Villar ranked second with 22 double plays turned and ranked in the top 10 with a .558 slugging percentage, 42 RBI and 86 total bases.
Shortstop Abel Rodriguez Jr. provided pop at the bottom of Wiley's batting order with a .322 batting average, 35 runs and 23 RBI. He ranked fourth in the conference with 13 doubles and third with 17 double plays turned.
Nick Rodriguez earned Second Team All-HBCUAC Relief Pitcher. He tied for second in the conference with three saves - two were during the GCAC Championship, which helped Wiley reach the final. He earned All-Tournament and went 5-0 in 19 appearances and two starts. Rodriguez struck out 44 batters in 52 2/3 innings.
The HBCUAC also released its preseason ranking, which the Wildcats finished second with 96 points. They didn't receive a first-place vote despite its finish last season. Talladega College was projected as the favorite to claim the HBCUAC regular season title, after sweeping its way through the GCAC Baseball Championship.
The conference expanded to 11 teams with the addition of Stillman College (Ala.), Voorhees University (S.C.) and Wilberforce University (Ohio). The expansion gives the conference two automatic berths to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Baseball Championship Opening Round.
The Wildcats open the season at 6 p.m. at the University of Houston-Victoria.
For more coverage on the Wildcats visit https://wileyathletics.com/sports/bsb/index
About Wiley University Athletics
Wiley University sponsors 12 varsity sports, women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field and baseball. It competes in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) and the Continental Athletic Conference for men's and women's soccer.
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