Four Falcons Named to Mountain West All-Conference Baseball Team
5/23/2019 12:57:00 PM | Baseball
It is the third time in the last four seasons Air Force has had four players honored
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.- The Air Force Academy baseball team had four players earn All-Mountain West Conference honors, the league announced Thursday, May 23. Senior catcher Rob Dau was named to the first team, while senior third baseman Nic Ready, senior pitcher Jake Gilbert, and junior outfielder Ashton Easley were placed on the second team, following a vote of the league's seven head coaches.
Ready closes his remarkable Falcon career with his fourth straight all-conference honor, making him the first Air Force player to be a four-time all-conference honoree. He was named to the first team last season, and the second team as a freshman and sophomore. Dau earns his second consecutive all-conference honor after being named second team in 2018, while Gilbert and Easley were honored for the first time in their respective careers.
With four players honored, it marks the third time in the last four seasons Air Force has had four players earn all-conference accolades, joining the 2016 and 2017 teams. It is also the fourth straight season the Falcons have had at least one player named to the first team, the first time that has happened in program history.
Dau concluded his final campaign with a monster year both at the plate, and behind it. The backstop started all 49 games he appeared in at catcher, and finished with a .305 batting average, including 14 doubles, a triple, three home runs, and 37 RBIs. Both of his doubles and RBIs were within the top 15 in the conference. His team-leading conference only batting average of .357 was sixth best in the league. He also led the conference in both pickoffs with 14 and runner caught stealing with 24, while maintaining a fielding percentage of .990, which was 12th best in the MW.
Ready will go down as one of the best players to ever suit up for the Falcons, and 2019 was his swan song, as he rewrote the record books. Ready set new program career-best marks in games played (217), at bats (917), hits (300), home runs (50), RBIs (224), and total bases (544). He also finished second in career doubles (76) and third in career runs scored (190).
This season, Ready started in all 52 games and was the conference leader in home runs with 13 and total bases with 129, while also ranking tied for second in doubles, third in slugging, seventh in RBIs, tenth in runs scored, 11th in hits, all while having the second-most at bats (219). His 19 doubles also ranked 37th in the nation, while his total bases were 53rd and home runs were 71st nationally.
Easley was the other offensive leader for the Falcons this season, playing in all but one game. He finished the year as the team leader in batting average (.327), hits (66), runs (46), triples (4), and stolen bases (30). The 30 steals were seven more than the next highest stolen base total in the conference, and were the 18th most in the country. They were also the third-most steals in a single season in program history, and the most since 2008.
His batting average was the 11th best in the Mountain West, while his 15 doubles were fifth-most, runs scored were sixth, his .545 slugging was ninth, hits were 10th, triples were tied for first, and his 110 total bases were fifth-most.
Gilbert was the staff ace this season for the Falcons, starting the year in the bullpen before transitioning into the Friday starter role. The tall righty appeared in 15 games, starting ten. He led the Falcon arms with a team-best 2.55 ERA over 62 innings, including a team-high 53 strikeouts and a tied for the team led six wins. His 2.55 ERA is the eighth-best single season mark in program history.
In the conference, Gilbert's ERA was the third-best, while his wins were fourth-most, and his strikeouts were 10th. He pitched in the 13th most innings. He also led all pitchers with four pickoffs, and was one of two pitchers to not allow a home run all season. In his seven conference starts, Gilbert held an ERA of 2.89, which was the fourth-lowest in the conference. Nationally, Gilbert's 2.55 ERA ranks 74th.
2019 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST BASEBALL FIRST TEAM
Rob Dau, Sr., C, Air Force
McCarthy Tatum, Sr., 3B, Fresno State
Zach Ashford, Sr., CF, Fresno State
JT Arruda, So., SS, Fresno State
Nolan Dempsey, Sr., 2B, Fresno State
Jaylon McLaughlin, Jr., CF, Nevada
Jared Mang, Sr., OF, New Mexico
Matt Rudick, So., OF, San Diego State
Kellen Strahm, Sr., CF, San José State
Bryson Stott, Jr., SS, UNLV
Jaime Arias, So., LHP, Fresno State
Ryan Jensen, Jr., RHP, Fresno State
Adrian Mardueno, Jr., RHP, San Diego State
Ryan Hare, Jr., RHP, UNLV
2019 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST BASEBALL SECOND TEAM
Ashton Easley, Jr., OF, Air Force
Nic Ready, Sr., 3B, Air Force
Carter Bins, Jr., C, Fresno State
Weston Hatten, Sr., RF, Nevada
Joshua Zamora, So., 3B, Nevada
Angelo Armenta, Sr., SS, San Diego State
Mike Jarvis, Jr., 2B, San Diego State
Casey Schmitt, So., 3B, San Diego State
Max Smith, Sr., RF, UNLV
Dillon Johnson, Jr., 3B, UNLV
Jake Gilbert, Sr., RHP, Air Force
Davis Moore, Jr., RHP, Fresno State
Grant Ford, Jr., RHP, Nevada
Justin Slaten, Jr., RHP, New Mexico
Justin Goossen-Brown, Sr., RHP, San Diego State
Tony Gwynn Co-Players of the Year: McCarthy Tatum, Sr., 3B, Fresno State; Bryson Stott, Jr., SS, UNLV
Pitcher of the Year: Ryan Jensen, Jr., RHP, Fresno State
Co-Freshmen of the Year: Jaden Fein, 1B, San Diego State; Edarian Williams, 2B, UNLV
Coach of the Year: Mike Batesole, Fresno State
Ready closes his remarkable Falcon career with his fourth straight all-conference honor, making him the first Air Force player to be a four-time all-conference honoree. He was named to the first team last season, and the second team as a freshman and sophomore. Dau earns his second consecutive all-conference honor after being named second team in 2018, while Gilbert and Easley were honored for the first time in their respective careers.
With four players honored, it marks the third time in the last four seasons Air Force has had four players earn all-conference accolades, joining the 2016 and 2017 teams. It is also the fourth straight season the Falcons have had at least one player named to the first team, the first time that has happened in program history.
Dau concluded his final campaign with a monster year both at the plate, and behind it. The backstop started all 49 games he appeared in at catcher, and finished with a .305 batting average, including 14 doubles, a triple, three home runs, and 37 RBIs. Both of his doubles and RBIs were within the top 15 in the conference. His team-leading conference only batting average of .357 was sixth best in the league. He also led the conference in both pickoffs with 14 and runner caught stealing with 24, while maintaining a fielding percentage of .990, which was 12th best in the MW.
Ready will go down as one of the best players to ever suit up for the Falcons, and 2019 was his swan song, as he rewrote the record books. Ready set new program career-best marks in games played (217), at bats (917), hits (300), home runs (50), RBIs (224), and total bases (544). He also finished second in career doubles (76) and third in career runs scored (190).
This season, Ready started in all 52 games and was the conference leader in home runs with 13 and total bases with 129, while also ranking tied for second in doubles, third in slugging, seventh in RBIs, tenth in runs scored, 11th in hits, all while having the second-most at bats (219). His 19 doubles also ranked 37th in the nation, while his total bases were 53rd and home runs were 71st nationally.
Easley was the other offensive leader for the Falcons this season, playing in all but one game. He finished the year as the team leader in batting average (.327), hits (66), runs (46), triples (4), and stolen bases (30). The 30 steals were seven more than the next highest stolen base total in the conference, and were the 18th most in the country. They were also the third-most steals in a single season in program history, and the most since 2008.
His batting average was the 11th best in the Mountain West, while his 15 doubles were fifth-most, runs scored were sixth, his .545 slugging was ninth, hits were 10th, triples were tied for first, and his 110 total bases were fifth-most.
Gilbert was the staff ace this season for the Falcons, starting the year in the bullpen before transitioning into the Friday starter role. The tall righty appeared in 15 games, starting ten. He led the Falcon arms with a team-best 2.55 ERA over 62 innings, including a team-high 53 strikeouts and a tied for the team led six wins. His 2.55 ERA is the eighth-best single season mark in program history.
In the conference, Gilbert's ERA was the third-best, while his wins were fourth-most, and his strikeouts were 10th. He pitched in the 13th most innings. He also led all pitchers with four pickoffs, and was one of two pitchers to not allow a home run all season. In his seven conference starts, Gilbert held an ERA of 2.89, which was the fourth-lowest in the conference. Nationally, Gilbert's 2.55 ERA ranks 74th.
2019 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST BASEBALL FIRST TEAM
Rob Dau, Sr., C, Air Force
McCarthy Tatum, Sr., 3B, Fresno State
Zach Ashford, Sr., CF, Fresno State
JT Arruda, So., SS, Fresno State
Nolan Dempsey, Sr., 2B, Fresno State
Jaylon McLaughlin, Jr., CF, Nevada
Jared Mang, Sr., OF, New Mexico
Matt Rudick, So., OF, San Diego State
Kellen Strahm, Sr., CF, San José State
Bryson Stott, Jr., SS, UNLV
Jaime Arias, So., LHP, Fresno State
Ryan Jensen, Jr., RHP, Fresno State
Adrian Mardueno, Jr., RHP, San Diego State
Ryan Hare, Jr., RHP, UNLV
2019 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST BASEBALL SECOND TEAM
Ashton Easley, Jr., OF, Air Force
Nic Ready, Sr., 3B, Air Force
Carter Bins, Jr., C, Fresno State
Weston Hatten, Sr., RF, Nevada
Joshua Zamora, So., 3B, Nevada
Angelo Armenta, Sr., SS, San Diego State
Mike Jarvis, Jr., 2B, San Diego State
Casey Schmitt, So., 3B, San Diego State
Max Smith, Sr., RF, UNLV
Dillon Johnson, Jr., 3B, UNLV
Jake Gilbert, Sr., RHP, Air Force
Davis Moore, Jr., RHP, Fresno State
Grant Ford, Jr., RHP, Nevada
Justin Slaten, Jr., RHP, New Mexico
Justin Goossen-Brown, Sr., RHP, San Diego State
Tony Gwynn Co-Players of the Year: McCarthy Tatum, Sr., 3B, Fresno State; Bryson Stott, Jr., SS, UNLV
Pitcher of the Year: Ryan Jensen, Jr., RHP, Fresno State
Co-Freshmen of the Year: Jaden Fein, 1B, San Diego State; Edarian Williams, 2B, UNLV
Coach of the Year: Mike Batesole, Fresno State
Players Mentioned
Sunday, May 10
Sunday, May 10
Saturday, May 09
Friday, May 08
