ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Cal State L.A. senior pitcher
Isaac Morales and junior outfielder
Mario Ramirez earned first-team All-West Region honors by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA), the organization announced on Tuesday.
It marks the second year in a row that Morales earned first-team All-Region honors from the NCBWA. Morales and Sonoma State catcher Ian Bridges were the only two players to earn first-team recognition two years in a row.
Morales became Cal State L.A.’s career wins leader during the season and finished with an overall record of 24-8. He was 5-4 this past season with a 4.23 earned run average and he led the Golden Eagles in innings pitched (72 1/3) and strikeouts (68). He was the Golden Eagles’ No. 1 starter since midway through the 2007 season.
Morales also earned first-team All-Region honors in 2008 after going 9-1 with a 2.47 earned run average.
Ramirez received first-team honors for the third time after his sensational first season with the Golden Eagles. He also earned first-team recognition from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and Daktronics. The Daktronics team was selected by the region’s Sports Information Directors.
Ramirez led the Golden Eagles in hitting with a .415 batting average. He also led the team in home runs (9), runs scored (42), runs batted in (46), hits (66), slugging percentage (.730) and on-base percentage (.543).
He was second in the conference in hitting, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, triple (5) and walks (33) and was third in the conference in runs batted in.
Ramirez came to Cal State L.A. from Santa Ana College and Brea-Olinda High School.
Tartamella made his second All-Region squad this year. He was also named to the Daktronics second team. Tartamella, who also earned All-Tournament honors at the CCAA Championship Tournament, finished the season with a .301 batting average with eight home runs and 40 runs batted in. He also threw out 16 base runners trying to steal and was regarded as a top defensive catcher in the region.
Tartamella came to Cal State L.A. from Pepperdine and Los Osos High School.
Jon Alia of Cal State Dominguez Hills was named the Player of the Year, Gary Moran of Sonoma State was the Pitcher of the Year and UC San Diego’s Dan O’Brien was the Coach of the Year.
NCBWA All-West Region Team
First Team
C – Ian Bridges (Sonoma State); 1B – Jon Alia (Cal State Dominguez Hills); 2B – Carlos Leyva (Cal State Dominguez Hills); SS – Vance Albitz (UC San Diego); 3B – Josh Tanner (UC San Diego); OF – Adam Arakawa (Chico State), Mario Ramirez (Cal State L.A.), Travis Fox (Western Oregon); UT – Paul Klingsberg (Cal State Dominguez Hills); SP – Gary Moran (Sonoma State), Isaac Morales (Cal State L.A.), Blake Keitzman (Western Oregon), Tim Shibuya (UC San Diego); RP – Guido Knudson (UC San Diego), Taylor Lewis (Sonoma State)
Second Team
C – Travis Tartamella (Cal State L.A.); 1B – Thomas McCarthy (Western Oregon); 2B – Garrett Imeson (UC San Diego); SS – Kyle Eveland (Chico State); OF – Blake Amaral (Hawaii Pacific), Kyle Loretelli (Cal State Stanislaus); Keoni Manago (Hawaii-Hilo); UT – Eric Stephens (Chico State); DH – Matt Cantele (UC San Diego); SP – Kody Kurowski (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Tyson Bailey (Dixie State), Matt Rossman (UC San Diego), Joel Garcia (Chico State); RP – Jeff Brooks (Saint Martin’s)