Eight Cougars Recognized on All-WSC Team

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director 

College of the Canyons baseball saw eight players recognized with All-Western State Conference (WSC), South Division honors. 

Angelo Aleman (INF), Jayden Steinhurst (DH), Evan Jaquez (OF), Domenik Cervantes (C), Joseph Jasso (P), Jake Schwartz (1B), Charlie Rocca (INF) and Hunter Essang (OF) each received all-conference awards all their respective positions.

Aleman earned First-Team recognition after splitting time between third base and shortstop and batting .317 with nine doubles and a team-high 12 home runs, to finish third in the WSC. The sophomore from Maranatha High School recorded 52 total hits with a .405 on-base percentage across 39 games. Those numbers came alongside 31 RBIs and club-leading 41 runs. His. 604 slugging percentage ranked second on the team.

Steinhurst was the other Cougar to earn First-Team honors. The freshman from Quartz Hill High School clubbed 10 home runs and nine doubles with 33 RBIs and .333 batting average. He also worked for a club-best 24 walks to aid a .448 on-base percentage and slugged .601 for the season with 34 runs scored. 

Earning spots on the conference's Second-Team were Jaquez, Cervantes and Jasso.

Jaquez batted .335 and led the Cougars with 53 hits during a season in which the freshman finished with 28 RBIs and 29 runs. The Valencia High School product smacked six home runs with seven doubles and slugged .494 across 42 games. 

Cervantes batted .324 with 28 RBIs and walked 20 time for a .420 on-base percentage. The sophomore out of Birmingham High School ranked second on the team with 11 doubles and went deep on four occasions, slugging .493 on the year. Behind the plate, Cervantes helped to handle a pitching staff that saw 15 different Cougars take the mound. 

Jasso led the Canyons staff with a 6-5 record across 18 appearances, with 14 starts, and 97 and 2/3 innings. The freshman from South East High School posted a 4.61 ERA and 1.40 WHIP with 104 strikeouts, good for a rate of 9.58 K/9 innings. Jasso also took home a Gold Glove award for his defensive efforts.

Honorable Mention selections for Canyons included Schwartz, Rocca and Essang. 

Schwartz batted .311 with six home runs and a team-high 36 RBIs with 26 runs and a .466 slugging percentage while playing in all 42 games. The West Ranch High School grad also drew 19 walks and finished with a .413 on-base percentage. Schwartz, who won the conference Gold Glove award at first base, also made nine appearances on the mound, coming away with a 2.45 ERA, five strikeouts and a team-high three saves.

Rocca batted .247 with 28 RBIs with his 39 runs scored ranking second on the team. His 12 doubles also led the team. The sophomore from Verdugo Hills High School hit five home runs while primarily playing second base. 

Essang finished the season with 21 runs and 15 RBIs while hitting .231 across 35 games. The freshman from Chaminade High School led Canyons with 12 steals and also hit three home runs.

Canyons (20-22) tied for third in the WSC, South Division standings behind conference champions L.A. Valley and runner-up Glendale College. The Cougars shared that spot with Citrus College. COC advanced to play in the 3C2A Southern California Regional playoffs for a third straight season but was eliminated by Palomar College in the opening round.

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.  

—Photos by Mari Kneisel/COC Sports Information