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Oklahoma City University Athletics

Oklahoma City University
Home Of Champions|73 National Championships
Jared Baker

Baseball

Eight Stars grab all-SAC honors

Baker snags league player of year to lead No. 1-ranked OCU

OKLAHOMA CITY – Jared Baker of top-ranked Oklahoma City University became Sooner Athletic Conference baseball player of the year as a league-high eight Stars made all-conference.
Four OCU seniors – Baker, Branden Grieger, Cory Linn and Matt Young – made the first team, while Joe Lytle, Shaun Corso, Mark Simon and Tyler Milligan grabbed second-team honors. OCU coach Denney Crabaugh was named SAC coach of the year.
Oklahoma City picked up its most all-SAC selections since 2012 with eight. OCU, ranked No. 1 in the NAIA, swept the SAC regular-season and postseason titles. The Stars will host the NAIA Championship Opening Round Oklahoma City Bracket on May 15-18 at Jim Wade Stadium. Opening-round pairings will be announced 3 p.m. Thursday via the NAIA's YouTube page.
Baker, a senior out of Edmond, Okla., took home all-SAC honors for the third straight season after grabbing first-team honors last season and second team in 2015.
This season, Baker is hitting .409 with a conference-high 81 hits, 18 home runs and an .798 slugging percentage. He is also fourth in the NAIA in RBIs with 78 and leads the team with 57 runs scored. Baker was named a preseason NAIA all-American after garnering honorable-mention all-American recognition last season. Baker set OCU's career record with 79 doubles.
Grieger, a senior from Semi Valley, Calif., was selected as the first-team designated hitter. Grieger is hitting .377 with five homers, 44 RBIs and a team-high five triples.
Linn, a senior from Moore, Okla., grabbed all-SAC honors for the second straight season. Linn sits second in the conference with 15 home runs while hitting .379 on the year. Linn also had the walk-off single to give the Stars a 15-14 win over No. 12 Texas Wesleyan in the SAC Tournament championship game.
Young, a senior right-hander from Glendora, Calif., is currently 8-2 with a 2.63 earned run average over 78.2 innings this season. He is second in the conference with 105 strikeouts and sits third in ERA and opponents' batting average.
Lytle, a junior out of Yukon, Okla., was named a second-team all-SAC member for the third straight season. Lytle leads the SAC with 24 doubles on the season, and currently sits just 14 behind Baker for the most doubles by an OCU player in a career. He is hitting .409 this season and has a team-best .992 fielding percentage, committing just three errors in 387 chances.
Corso, a junior from Lancaster, Pa., owns a .386 batting average, eight homers and 52 RBIs. He is second on the team with a .390 batting average in conference games this season. He is one of only three players for OCU to start every game this season and is third on the team in RBIs and doubles (21).
Simon, a senior right-hander from Houston, is 9-1 on the season with a 4.39 ERA in 67.2 innings. Simon is second in the SAC with 11.17 strikeouts per game and is tied for the team lead in wins.
Milligan, a junior righty from Wagoner, Okla., has posted a 2.29 ERA and six saves over 19.2 innings. He has struck out 20 hitters this season and is holding opponents to a .213 batting average against this year.
 
All-Sooner Athletic Conference
FIRST TEAM
Pitchers: Francis Ventura, USAO; Jose Hidalgo, USAO; Stephen Yancey, Texas Wesleyan; Matt Young, Oklahoma City; Brad Sugg, Texas Wesleyan.
Catchers: Dillon White, USAO; Ernesto Lizardi, Wayland Baptist.
Infield: Michael Lowe, Southwestern Christian; Caden Williams, Texas Wesleyan; Frankely Gonzalez, USAO; Christian Perez, USAO.
Outfield: Randy Ventura, USAO; Kiki Mendendez, Texas Wesleyan; Jared Baker, Oklahoma City; Cory Linn, Oklahoma City.
Utility: Raul Castro, Southwestern Assemblies of God.
Designated hitter: Branden Grieger, Oklahoma City.
SECOND TEAM                                 
Pitchers: Mark Simon, Oklahoma City; Matt Oxner, St. Gregory's; Mychal Yarbor, St. Gregory's, Jason Braziel, Southwestern Christian; Tyler Milligan, Oklahoma City.
Catchers: Garrett Crook, Texas Wesleyan; Joe Lytle, Oklahoma City.
Infield: Julio Ibarra, Texas Wesleyan; Jordan Martin, St. Gregory's; Gregg Veneklasen, Wayland Baptist; Casey Moses, Texas Wesleyan.
Outfield: Ryan Lujan-Leonard, St. Gregory's; Jerry McNew, Mid-America Christian; Josh Terry, Southwestern Assemblies of God.
Utility: Shaun Corso, Oklahoma City.
Designated hitter: Armando Fajardo, St. Gregory's.
 
Player of the year: Jared Baker, Oklahoma City.
Coach of the year: Denney Crabaugh, Oklahoma City.
 
GOLD GLOVE TEAM
Pitcher: Mychal Yarbor, St. Gregory's.
Catcher: Garrett Crook, Texas Wesleyan.
Infield: Julio Ibarra, 1b, Texas Wesleyan; Kenniel Rivera, 2b, USAO; Justin Braziel, 3b, Southwestern Christian; Casey Moses, SS, Texas Wesleyan.
Outfield: Hector Romero, lf, Wayland Baptist; Henry Rodriguez, cf, USAO; Randy Ventura, rf, USAO.
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Players Mentioned

Jared Baker

#21 Jared Baker

OF
6' 1"
Senior
L/R
Cory Linn

#24 Cory Linn

OF
6' 1"
Senior
R/R
Joe Lytle

#11 Joe Lytle

C
6' 0"
Junior
L/R
Mark Simon

#16 Mark Simon

RHP
6' 0"
Senior
R/R
Matt Young

#32 Matt Young

RHP
6' 4"
Junior
R/R
Shaun Corso

#2 Shaun Corso

INF
6' 3"
Junior
R/R
Branden Grieger

#6 Branden Grieger

INF
6' 0"
Senior
R/R
Tyler Milligan

#12 Tyler Milligan

RHP
5' 10"
Junior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Jared Baker

#21 Jared Baker

6' 1"
Senior
L/R
OF
Cory Linn

#24 Cory Linn

6' 1"
Senior
R/R
OF
Joe Lytle

#11 Joe Lytle

6' 0"
Junior
L/R
C
Mark Simon

#16 Mark Simon

6' 0"
Senior
R/R
RHP
Matt Young

#32 Matt Young

6' 4"
Junior
R/R
RHP
Shaun Corso

#2 Shaun Corso

6' 3"
Junior
R/R
INF
Branden Grieger

#6 Branden Grieger

6' 0"
Senior
R/R
INF
Tyler Milligan

#12 Tyler Milligan

5' 10"
Junior
R/R
RHP