Sparks, Morales Recognized On All-West Region Second Team; Sparks Named Gold Glove Winner
June 24, 2013 | Baseball
IRVINE, Calif. ---
Taylor Sparks and Andrew Morales continue to collect post-season accolades after the pair was voted to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings West Region second team. Sparks also was chosen as one of the region's three Gold Glove winners, becoming just the fourth Anteater to earn the honor.
Sparks and Morales each had stellar seasons with the Anteaters ending the regular season as All-Big West Conference first-team choices. Sparks received Big West Co-Field Player of the Year honors and earned a spot on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team roster. A Collegiate Baseball "Louisville Slugger" All-American, Sparks made his mark in the UCI record books after blasting 10 home runs to finish third in the single-season annals. The third baseman led the conference in slugging (.581) and total bases (129) and over the Big West slate, paced all players in hitting (.422), slugging (.697), hits (46), RBI (32), home runs (7) and total bases (76). Sparks owned a .956 fielding percentage at the hot corner, committing just six errors in his sophomore campaign.
Morales also recorded the third-best mark in the Anteaters' season records after posting a 1.89 ERA on the mound. With a 10-0 mark, the right-hander was the first UCI player to go undefeated on the hill and in 95.1 innings, fanned 85. Opposing teams managed just a .227 batting average and Morales logged considerable innings in four combined shutouts. At one point, he held a 26.1-inning shutout streak and went on to receive "Louisville Slugger" second-team All-America recognition.
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