May 30, 2001

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Senior Matt Queen was named the Most Valuable Player and the Broncos honored eight departing seniors at the annual Santa Clara University baseball team banquet Wednesday at the Williman Room in the Benson Memorial Center on campus.

Senior Mike Theoharis was named Most Inspirational. Joe Diefenderfer earned Pitcher of the Year honors and Alex Anderson and Kellan McConnell shared the Most Improved Award. All team awards were determined through a vote of the players.

Queen, a native of Saratoga, was a second-team all-West Coast Conference selection as a first baseman for the Broncos. He batted .356 and led the team in runs batted in with 57 and doubles with 21.

Theoharis returned to the field in 2001 after missing last season due to injury. He started 53 games and tied with Queen for the home run lead with seven. His 249 plate appearances led the team and he was named honorable mention all-WCC.

Diefenderfer was a second-team all-WCC selection after serving as the team's starting pitcher, designated hitter and right fielder. He compiled a 5-6 overall record on the mound with a 4.92 earned run average. He appeared in 16 games and pitched two complete games. He led the team in innings pitched with 89.2 and batted .255 with 15 RBI.

McConnell was the team's top pitcher late in the season with a complete game shutout of Gonzaga and earning WCC Pitcher of the Week honors. He compiled a 4.43 ERA, a 4-2 record overall on the mound and batted .276 on the season with two home runs and 14 RBI. Anderson played in 33 games and recorded a .312 slugging percentage. He batted .234 on the season and recorded eight RBI.

The Broncos finished the season with a 17-13 WCC mark and tied for the Coast Division title. Santa Clara went 23-33 overall on the season with a schedule that included seven teams that played in the NCAA Tournament.