Four Knights were honored this week as All County by the OC Register. Senior Sean Higgins was named to 1st team All County, Sean was also named the Crestview League MVP. 2nd Team honors went to senior pitcher Ryan Taurek, senior Chad Castillo was name 2nd team DH, and junior outfielder Kyle Ashworth also made second team.
The Register’s All-County baseball teams for the 2018 season.
ALL-COUNTY FIRST TEAM
PITCHERS
Erik Tolman, El Toro: The Register’s pitcher of the year.
Cole Winn, Orange Lutheran: The Register’s player of the year.
Christian Ciuffetelli, Servite: A senior right-hander who signed with Oregon, Ciuffetelli was a Trinity League pitcher of the year. He threw a no-hitter against Mater Dei and was the North’s starting pitcher in the Orange County All-Star Baseball Game.
Jake Reed, JSerra: He was a Trinity League pitcher of the year. Reed, a senior, signed with University of San Diego.
UTILITY
Sean Higgins, Foothill: He was Crestview League player of the year. Higgins, going to Columbia University, batted .351 with 34 hits, 24 RBIs and a team-high 19 doubles, and on the mound was 8-1 with a 1.70 ERA.
CATCHER
Nick Lopez, Huntington Beach: He was the Sunset League’s first-team catcher. Lopez, a senior who started in the O.C. All-Star Game, signed with Abilene Christian University.
FIRST BASE
Chase Luttrell, El Toro: The standout senior hitter and pitcher for the league-champion Chargers was an All-South Coast League first-team selection. He signed with Long Beach State.
INFIELDERS
Jeff Bruyntjens, San Clemente: He batted .426 with eight home runs, 20 RBIs and 40 hits. The senior third baseman signed with Cal Baptist. He was the only San Clemente player on the All-South Coast League first team. He was named most outstanding player of the county all-star game.
Mike Marsh, Cypress: The junior second baseman batted leadoff for the Empire League champion Centurions and was the league MVP. He hit an eighth-inning walk-off home run against Pacifica to secure for Cypress a share of the league title.
Matt McLain, Beckman: He was Pacific Coast League MVP. The senior shortstop signed with UCLA and was drafted in the first round by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
OUTFIELDERS
Ryan Daugherty, Capistrano Valley: He was a South Coast League first-team selection. The senior, who signed with St. Mary’s, had a team-high 41 hits for the CIF-SS Division 1-champion Cougars. He also was 8-3 on the mound with a 1.90 ERA.
Connor Kokx, Aliso Niguel: He hit .384 with 33 hits, 23 stolen bases and 25 RBIs. Kokx, a terrific fielder who is a Long Beach State signee, was a starter in the O.C. All-Star Game.
Nathan Manning, Capistrano Valley: This junior batted .392 with 40 hits and 18 RBIs and was an outstanding defensive center fielder for the Division 1 champions His future might be in football – he was the starting quarterback for Capistrano Valley in 2017.
DESIGNATED HITTER
Josh Hahn, Huntington Beach: He was Sunset League MVP. The UCLA-committed junior played first base and pitched for the league-champion Oilers. He batted .344 with five home runs and 23 RBIs, and he was 3-1 on the mound with two saves and a 1.88 ERA.
SECOND TEAM
Pitcher – Trevor Ernt, Beckman
Pitcher – Kyle Luckham, El Dorado
Pitcher – Nick Pinto, Tesoro
Pitcher – Ryan Taurek, Foothill
Catcher – Blake Fitzgerald, Capistrano Valley
1B – Blake Lassen, JSerra
Inf – Chazz Martinez, Corona del Mar
Inf – Max Rajcic, Orange Lutheran
Inf – JT Schwartz, Corona del Mar
OF – Kyle Ashworth, Foothill
OF – Nathan Church, El Toro
OF – Basilio Pacheco, Segerstrom
DH – Chad Castillo, Foothill
Utility – Jeremy Hassel, Tesoro
THIRD TEAM
Pitcher – Jovanny Reyes, Pacifica
Pitcher – Chance Palmer, Troy
Pitcher – Jake Spillane, Mission Viejo
Pitcher – Nathan Wilson, Fountain Valley
C – Rafael Flores, Katella
1B – Justin Brodt, Huntington Beach
Inf – Nick Hansen, El Modena
Inf – Sam Ireland, Tesoro
Inf – Marc Lidd, Crean Lutheran
OF – Joey Holman, Capistrano Valley
OF – Luke Spillane, Mission Viejo
OF – Grady Morgan, Laguna Beach
DH – Evan Fittterer, Aliso Niguel
Utility – Troy Melton, Canyon