Pomona-Pitzer Colleges duo Isaac Kim and Jake Hilton headlined the 2024 SCIAC Baseball All-Conference teams as the Athlete and Pitcher of the Year.
Kim led the conference with 60 total bases and 36 RBI in the heart of a potent Sagehens lineup that featured three hitters with an OPS over 1.100. The first baseman accumulated a league-leading 42 hits to drive Pomona-Pitzer’s five-game improvement on 2023’s .500 record that left the Sagehens a single game shy of the regular season title.
Hilton built on a breakout sophomore campaign last year that had already seen him billed among the conference’s elite strikeout pitchers. The league leader in ERA (1.51), he surrendered just a .199 batting average against while striking out 47 hitters over 47.2 innings with an unblemished 5-0 record as he turned in quality starts in every appearance this season.
University of La Verne rookie Niko Urquidi was named the Newcomer of the Year, combining with 2023 Pitcher of the Year Gerald Terry to form one of the most fearsome pitching duos in the nation for the 14th-ranked team in Division III. He struck out 50 batters, including a league-best 23 looking, across 45 innings to suggest his already-impressive 3.60 ERA could deserve to be even lower.
Another Leopard, Anthony Salcedo, was presented with the Character Award in recognition of his exemplary success on the field, in the classroom and with involvement in community and school service. Salcedo’s gregarious personality, humility and positive energy endear him to everyone in any setting and have allowed him to serve as a role model for the La Verne program.
Coaching Staff of the Year recognition went to Scott Winterburn and the La Verne dugout in acknowledgement of the Leopards’ back-to-back SCIAC regular season titles. The contact-oriented approach “Burn” preaches led to the league’s top-ranked offense with 9.2 runs scored per game with a .325 team batting average and nearly more walks (124) than strikeouts (125) while the pitching staff also led the league with a meager .229 batting average against.
Pomona-Pitzer led all teams with six total selections, including four on the First Team, followed by CMS and La Verne with five apiece. California Lutheran University and Whittier College landed two First Team choices and one Second Teamer each, while Chapman University also totaled three selections. Terry, Pomona-Pitzer’s JC Ng and Chapman’s AJ Anzai became the lone three-time honorees, with Terry a First Team choice in each while Ng returned to the First Team after placing on the Second Team in 2023. Last year’s Newcomer of the Year, Whittier’s Lew Rice, repeated on the top team along with La Verne catcher Nathan Perry and 2023 Athlete of the Year Julian Sanders of CMS. Hilton and Whittier’s Teige Barrett made the step up from the Second Team. Eric Prough repeated on the Second Team for the Sagehens.
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Athlete
of the Year |
Pitcher
of the Year |
Newcomer
of the Year |
Character
Award |
Coaching
Staff of the Year |
Isaac Kim
Pomona-Pitzer |
Jake Hilton
Pomona-Pitzer |
Niko Urquidi
La Verne |
Anthony Salcedo
La Verne |
Scott Winterburn
La Verne |
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| First Team All-SCIAC |
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Isaac Kim |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Sr. |
1B |
Valencia, Calif. |
| Jake Hilton |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Jr. |
SP |
Berkeley, Calif. |
| Nathan Perry |
La Verne |
So. |
C |
Irvine, Calif. |
| Julian Sanders |
CMS |
Sr. |
1B |
Mercer Island, Wash. |
| Dillon Martin |
CMS |
Fy. |
2B |
Ladera Ranch, Calif. |
| Blake Wink |
Cal Lutheran |
Gr. |
2B |
Yorba Linda, Calif. |
| Greg Pierantoni |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Fy. |
SS |
Sherman Oaks, Calif. |
| Teige Barrett |
Whittier |
Sr. |
LF/RP |
San Diego, Calif. |
| JC Ng |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Jr. |
CF |
Foster City, Calif. |
| Lew Rice |
Whittier |
Jr. |
CF |
Walkerton, Va. |
| J.J. Frazier |
Cal Lutheran |
Sr. |
SP |
Calabasas, Calif. |
| Brandon Menzel |
Chapman |
Sr. |
SP |
Moorpark, Calif. |
| Hannoh Seo |
Pomona-Pitzer |
So. |
SP |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Gerald Terry |
La Verne |
Sr. |
SP |
La Verne, Calif. |
| Andrew Mazzone |
CMS |
Gr. |
DH |
Belmont, Mass. |
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| Second Team All-SCIAC |
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Jared Anderson |
Redlands |
Sr. |
SS |
Gilbert, Ariz. |
| Troy Anderson |
Cal Lutheran |
So. |
1B |
Moorpark, Calif. |
| AJ Anzai |
Chapman |
Sr. |
1B |
Trabuco Canyon, Calif. |
| Max Berber |
Whittier |
Jr. |
SP/1B |
Riverside, Calif. |
| Adam Dapkewicz |
CMS |
Gr. |
C |
Davis, Calif. |
| Luke De Vries |
Redlands |
Jr. |
CF |
Irvine, Calif. |
| Matthew Diaz |
La Verne |
Jr. |
CF |
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. |
| Hamilton Finefrock |
CMS |
Jr. |
RP |
Santa Barbara, Calif. |
| Nate Jakobs |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Sr. |
RF |
Sacramento, Calif. |
| Logan Reese |
La Verne |
Jr. |
RF |
Palmdale, Calif. |
| Kai Osaka |
Chapman |
Gr. |
C/LF |
Seattle, Wash. |
| Eric Prough |
Pomona-Pitzer |
Sr. |
RP |
Walnut Creek, Calif. |
| Niko Urquidi |
La Verne |
Fy. |
SP |
Murrieta, Calif. |
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