Nelson Named SoCal Player of the Year, Matuszak and Collins Honored

By Jimmy Friery

Santa Barbara City College Baseball's noteworthy season continues to acquire accolades long after it ended. The California Community College Baseball Coaches Association (CCCBCA) announced its All-State and All-Region teams on Thursday, with three Vaqueros represented.

Two-way player Wylan Nelson won SoCal Position Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year—also making the All-State Team—while shortstop William Matuszak and pitcher Max Collins made the All-State and All-Region Teams, respectively.

Nelson's incredible numbers allowed him to be named Western State Conference (WSC) North Pitcher and Freshman of the Year, and now, SoCal Player and Freshman of the Year. The Ventura High grad thus has collected awards both for his work on pitcher's mound and in the batter's box.

He hit .353/.483/.538 with seven homers and 45 RBIs; he pitched to the tune of a 2.61 ERA and had a flawless 10-0 record in 16 starts. In those 16 starts, he hit even better than his overall numbers, slashing .438/.538/.609 for a 1.147 OPS.

Matuszak was not a bad hitter either. He led the team in all three slashline categories (.374/.517/.654), walks (46), and homers (11). While all that already suggests he was a good leadoff hitter, he also stole a school-record 38 bases. The All-State selection was previously named WSC North Player of the Year.

Collins threw the second most innings on the team (74.1), only behind Nelson, to the tune of a 3.27 ERA. The All-SoCal selection went 6-2 and struck out more than one batter an inning (9.20 K/9). He allowed one or no earned runs in all of his first nine appearances and, overall, allowed less than four earned runs in 14 of his 17 appearances. The Vaqueros won all six games in which he pitched six or more innings.

To see the full list, visit the CCCBCA website.

UPDATE: The same trio of Vaqueros were honored with American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings awards selections, announced on Monday, June 1.

Nelson and Matuszak were named to the Southern California All-Region First Team, with Nelson named Position Player of the Year. The pair also made the Pacific Association All-America First Team. Collins made the All-Region Second Team.

To read more, visit the ABCA website.