Fresno State Athletics
Several Bulldogs Receive WAC Baseball Awards
5/22/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 22, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - The Western Athletic Conference today released its 2001 all-WAC baseball teams and postseason awards as selected by the league's head coaches. Fresno State senior shortstop Josh Labandeira was named the WAC Player of the Year, while head coach Bob Bennett was selected as the WAC Coach of the Year.
Labandeira a senior from Porterville, Calif. (College of Sequoias), hit .331 with 36 RBI, 10 doubles, two triples, six home runs and scored 37 runs in 36 conference games. In all games, he hit .366 and led the WAC in hits (930, RBI (67), home runs (14), total bases (161) and slugging percentage (.634).
Bennett in his 33rd season with the Bulldogs, led Fresno State to a second place finish in the WAC with a 22-14 record. Overall, the Bulldogs were 39-23 and earned their second consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament and 21st under Bennett.
Labandeira and catcher junior Brad Harper were named to the All-WAC first-team, while junior first baseman Brandon Gemoll, senior second baseman Oscar Lopez, freshman left fielder Casey McGehee and junior Pitcher Bob Runyon were all named to the second team.
Fresno State will take on Pepperdine in the NCAA baseball tournament Friday at 7 p.m. at Dedeaux Field on the campus of USC. It is the program's 28th trip to the NCAA tournament.
