COC Baseball Has 10 Players Named to 2015 All-Western State Conference Team

The College of the Canyons baseball team had 10 players named to the All-Western State Conference, South Division team — and three more earn gold glove honors — as the Cougars were recognized for their talents at the plate, in the field and on the mound.

The 2015 all-conference class is headlined by freshman outfielder Roy Verdejo, freshman second baseman Colton Burns, sophomore starting pitcher JC Cloney and freshman relief pitcher Zach Hanks who were all named All-WSC First Team selections.

Verdejo led both the Cougars and the conference in home runs (7) and RBIs (37). His .357 batting average ranked second on the team and 11th in the conference. The freshman played in all 36 games for COC head coach Chris Cota, and also ranked second on the team in doubles (11) and runs (12).

Verdejo earned a Gold Glove in the outfield after committing only one error the entire season.

Burns, who primarily hit in the leadoff spot, batted .362 on the season to lead Canyons — a mark good enough to rank ninth in the conference. He also led the team with a .472 on-base percentage, which ranked second in the conference. Burns also totaled 15 RBIs and 26 runs on the year.

Burns also earned the Gold Glove at second base after posting a .958 fielding percentage while only committing seven errors in 167 chances.

Starting pitcher J.C. Cloney (7-4) earned All-WSC First Team honors after leading COC in wins, innings pitched (78 and 2/3), strikeouts (64) and ERA (2.40). Cloney also ranked third in the conference in strikeouts and eighth in ERA.

Freshman reliever Zach Hanks turned some heads with his performance this season, earning First Team honors after posting a 0.46 ERA and allowing only one earned run in 19 and 2/3 innings of work.

COC sophomore third baseman Dylan Freyre, freshman designated hitter Jake Spurlin, and freshman pitcher Collin Dudley were each named All-WSC Second Team selections.

Freyre (.328/1 HR/22 RBIs) earned All-WSC honors and a Gold Glove for the second time in his Cougar career. He posted a .902 fielding percentage during conference play while only committing four errors at the hot corner.

Spurlin posted a .321 batting average, hit a home run and tallied11 RBIs during conference play.

Dudley (5-2) threw 76 and 2/3 innings for the Cougars, while sporting a 2.47 ERA to go along with 58 strikeouts — ranking second on the team in all categories. On March 24, he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, before settling for a complete game shutout victory vs. Citrus College.

COC sophomore first baseman Chris Devery (.287/2 HR/17 RBIs) earned Honorable Mention recognition for the second time in his career, joining sophomore shortstop Jose Haros (.320/2 HR/29 RBIs) and freshman relief pitcher Chad Haslock (2-1 record and a team-high 18 appearances) on that list.

Canyons finished the 2015 season with a 19-17 overall record and finished fifth in the WSC, South Division with an 11-10 mark in conference play.