IRVINE, Calif. --- Andrew Morales and Taylor Sparks became UCI's first All-Americans since 2011 after earning second and third-team honors from Collegiate Baseball.
Morales, pitching his first season with the Anteaters, was selected as a second-team choice after posting an undefeated 10-0 mark on the mound and boasting a 1.89 ERA. Morales becomes the first Anteater to hold a perfect mark, with a minimum of 10 decisions, and his earned run average is third-best in the UCI single-season records. Concluding the regular season ranked 42nd in the nation in ERA, Morales struck out 85 batters to place fourth in the Big West and limited opposing teams to a .227 batting average for third in the league. A transfer from Rio Hondo College, Morales now holds a dominant 31-1 mark following three seasons of collegiate baseball. The right-hander was named a three-time Big West Pitcher of the Week and voted to the All-Big West first-team earlier this week.
Sparks captured third-team All-America honors after a stellar sophomore season. The third baseman was voted the Big West Co-Field Player of the Year, just the second Anteater to receive the honor. Sparks, who hit .360, led the Big West in slugging at .581 and totaled 129 bases to rank 47th in the country. He hit 10 home runs this season to tie for first in the Big West and also finished in a tie for third in the Anteater season records. An all-conference first-team selection, Sparks is a semifinalist for the Gregg Olsen Award, honoring collegiate baseball's "Breakout Player of the Year".
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