Leopards Place Five On All-SCIAC Teams
Leopard junior Jon Michael-Hattabaugh (www.applerosephotography.com)
Five members of the University of La Verne baseball team earned recognition on the 2009 All-SCIAC teams as voted on by league coaches.
The quartet of Jon Michael-Hattabaugh, Victor Peinado, Mike Surina and Grant Wheatley were First Team All-SCIAC selections while Jesse Sweet earned a spot on the Second Team.
A junior from Covina, Hattabaugh hit .368 on the season and led the squad in homers (9) runs batted in (51) and doubles (14) while tying for the team lead in hits with 60. Peinado compiled a team-high .420 average while recording 60 hits to tie for team-high honors. A junior from Duarte, Peinado also hit 7 home runs while recording a .664 slugging percentage.
Surina posted a .396 batting average in his first season with the Leos. The junior catcher also drove in 40 runs while also belting 6 homers. The versatile Wheatley compiled a 6-4 record this season along while earning 8 saves. The senior from Covina also collected 64 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched.
A senior from Springfield, Oregon, Sweet led the Leopards in innings pitched with 71 this season, compiling a 4-2 record with a 3.66 earned run average.
La Verne finished 23-16 overall with a 12-9 mark in conference play to place fourth in the SCIAC standings.
