May 28, 2002
Walnut Creek, Calif. - Stanford junior righthanded pitcher Jeremy Guthrie (Ashland, OR/Ashland HS) has been named the 2002 Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year in a vote by the conference baseball coaches. Guthrie is the sixth player in Stanford history to earn the honor, all in the last nine seasons.
"It's a great honor to win this award with all the great pitching in the Pac-10," said Guthrie. "I feel that I've come a long way in the two seasons that I've been at Stanford, and it feels great to be named Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year."
Guthrie is also one of five finalists for the 2002 Golden Spikes Award given annually by USA Baseball to the top collegiate baseball player in the country.
Guthrie has compiled a 10-1 record this season, while leading the Pac-10 with a 2.52 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 121.1 innings. Guthrie pitched complete games in four of his final five regular season outings, won his final four decisions and enters the postseason with consecutive scoreless streak of 19 innings.
He posted a 4-1 record with a 1.88 ERA in eight Pac-10 starts, including his first shutout of the campaign with a career-high 13 strikeouts in a six-hitter at UCLA on May 17.
Guthrie has posted a 23-5 career record with a 2.68 ERA in less than two full seasons at Stanford, recording 243 strikeouts in 255.1 innings pitched.
Stanford also had five other players earn All-Pac-10 honors with the selections of junior designated hitter Jason Cooper (Moses Lake, WA/Moses Lake HS), sophomore outfielder Sam Fuld (Durham, NH/Phillips Exeter Academy), junior catcher Ryan Garko (Walnut, CA/Servite HS), senior second baseman Chris O'Riordan (San Diego, CA/Bishop's HS) and sophomore outfielder Carlos Quentin (Chula Vista, CA/University of San Diego HS).
Fuld, O'Riordan and Quentin were selected to the All-Pac-10 team for the second time in their careers.
Fuld was a candidate for Pac-10 Player of the Year after leading the conference with a .396 batting average and 99 hits, while adding six homers, 43 RBI and eight stolen bases during the regular season. He has registered 21 multiple-hit games in his last 24 contests, hitting an amazing .519 (54-104) during the stretch, and is attempting to become only the sixth player in school history and the first since David McCarty (.420, 1991) to hit .400 or better in a season.
O'Riordan, a national semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, put together another solid regular season with a .330 batting average, eight homers and 40 RBI in addition to an outstanding defensive effort that gave him a team-high 182 assists. O'Riordan has started all 56 games this season to run his consecutive games started streak at second base to 167.
Quentin, the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 2001, hit .322 with 10 homers, 50 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He co-leads the conference with 17 hit-by-pitches and is just two shy of equaling Stanford's single season record in the category. Quentin made just one error in 98 defensive chances during the regular season for a .990 fielding percentage while starting all 56 games.
Cooper hit .359 with 12 homers and 50 RBI to earn his first All-Pac-10 selection. He has the team's longest hitting streak of the season when he hit safely in a career-high 15 straight games from February 15 - March 28. He has also hit two homers in a game twice this season on March 8 versus California and April 13 against USC. The Dick Howser Award semifinalist set a new career-high with five hits in a 5-for-5 performance against California on March 8.
Garko, a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, led the club with 14 home runs and 51 RBI, while hitting .311. He also paced the Cardinal with 62 runs scored, 35 bases on balls and 353 putouts as he has started all 56 games, including 52 behind the plate. Garko had his first career two-homer game at Santa Clara on May 7.
Three other Stanford players - junior lefthanded pitcher Tim Cunningham (Rocklin, CA/Rocklin HS), sophomore righthanded pitcher John Hudgins (Mission Viejo, CA/Mission Viejo HS) and senior shortstop Andy Topham (Sacramento, CA/El Camino HS) - earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors.
Cunningham posted an 8-2 regular season record with a 3.83 ERA, recording victories in each of his final three starts.
Hudgins finished the regular season with an 8-1 mark and a 4.88 ERA.
Topham hit .314 with five homers, 37 RBI and nine stolen bases, while solidifying the Cardinal defensive with his move from third base to shortstop midway through the season.
USC junior catcher Alberto Concepcion was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year, while Trojan head coach Mike Gillespie earned Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time. UCLA first baseman/lefthanded pitcher Wes Whisler was named Freshman of the Year. For a complete press release about the 2002 All-Pac-10 team, go to pac-10.org.
Stanford (40-16) opens 2002 postseason play as the top seed in an NCAA Regional at Sunken Diamond by hosting fourth-seeded Cal State Fullerton (36-20) in the first round this Friday, May 31 (7:00 pm, PDT). Second seeded Long Beach State (37-19) and third-seeded San Jose State (45-15) open the Regional Friday with a contest at 3:00 pm, PDT. The winner of the four-team double elimination three-day Regional will advance to one of eight NCAA Super Regionals to be played Friday-Sunday, June 7-9. Stanford has advanced to the College World Series in each of the last three seasons after winning three consecutive Regionals and Super Regionals. The Cardinal has been the CWS runner-up in each of the past two seasons and has won national titles in 1987 and 1988.