May 19, 2000
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara University second baseman Jack Headley, who hit .380 and led the conference with 82 hits, was named the 2000 West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year. He is the third Bronco so honored, following Adam Melhuse in 1991 and Mike Frank in 1994.
Headley, also a second team all-conference selection, is joined on the All-WCC squads by three honorable mention selections: freshman Travis Hinton, senior Todd Hughes and junior Matt Queen.
After redshirting the 1999 campaign following a transfer from Miami, Headley torched WCC pitching to the tune of a .445 clip in 27 league contests. In addition to driving in 22 runs in WCC action, the Gilroy, Calif. native and Bellarmine Prep alumnus also had 10 doubles, two triples and three homers for a .655 slugging percentage. Overall, Headley lead Santa Clara in average (.380), hits (82), slugging percentage (.551), on-base percentage (.451) and total bases (119) while tying for the team lead with five triples and ranking second in RBI (40), doubles (15) and home runs (4). Headley also boasted a team-best 16 game hitting streak while hitting safely in 27 of his last 28 games and 48 of 55 overall.
Hinton, a fellow freshman, led the club with nine homers and 50 RBI while becoming the first Bronco rookie to drive in 50 runs since Troy Buckley set a freshman record with 51 in 1987. In 30 league games, Hinton hit .279 with 11 doubles, four homers and 26 RBI. Hughes, who last weekend set Santa Clara's all-time career stolen base record, hit .345 with six doubles and four triples in conference action. Junior Matt Queen played three of the four infield positions while batting .291 with four home runs and 37 RBI. Pepperdine junior catcher Dane Sardinha and Loyola Marymount second baseman Anthony Angel are the co-players of the year in the WCC, the first time the honor has been shared since 1988. LMU head coach Frank Cruz, who guided his team to the Coast Division title and the No. 16 national ranking, earned his second Coach of the Year honor in his four seasons. Lion fireballer Billy Traber, a left-hander with 135 strikeouts, is the WCC Pitcher of the Year.
2000 West Coast Conference Awards
Co-Players of the Year:
Dane Sardinha, Pepperdine
Anthony Angel, Loyola Marymount
Pitcher of the Year:
Billy Traber, Loyola Marymount
Freshman of the Year:
Jack Headley, Santa Clara
Coach of the Year:
Frank Cruz, Loyola Marymount
First Team:
Dane Sardinha, Pepperdine, Jr., C
Scott Walter, Loyola Marymount, Jr., C
Kris Zacuto, Loyola Marymount, So., 1B
Anthony Angel, Loyola Marymount, Sr., 2B
Taggert Bozied, San Francisco, Jr., 3B
Greg Sain, San Diego, So., 3B
Corey Lunde, Portland, So., SS
Jason Bay, Gonzaga, Sr., OF
Dan Garcia, Pepperdine, So., OF
Kevin Reese, San Diego, Sr., OF
Barry Matthews, Gonzaga, Jr., DH
Jason Aspito, Loyola Marymount, Jr., UTL
Billy Traber, Loyola Marymount, Jr., P
Steve Bennett, Gonzaga, Sr., P
Dan Haren, Pepperdine, So., P
Second Team:
Woody Cliffords, Pepperdine, So., 1B
Jack Headley, Santa Clara, Fr., 2B
Kevin Hara, Gonzaga, Sr., SS
Jeremy Coronado, Pepperdine, Sr., OF
Tom Nichols, Saint Mary's, Sr., OF
Dustin Delucchi, San Francisco, Sr., OF
Jeff Walker, Loyola Marymount, Jr., DH
Damon Katz, Pepperdine, Sr., UTL
Jay Adams, Pepperdine, Jr., P
Brian Graham, Portland, Sr., P
Ben Bonilla, Loyola Marymount, Sr., P
Honorable Mention:
Pepperdine - Austin Evans
Portland - Kyle Bebout
Saint Mary's - Tim Spooner
San Diego - Marty Hayes, Jared Hemus
San Francisco - Tony Hurtado, Rigo Lopez, Pat Walsh
Santa Clara - Travis Hinton, Todd Hughes, Matt Queen
