Gonzaga’s Daniel Bies, Casey Legumina named to All-West Coast Conference baseball first team

SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Gonzaga’s Daniel Bies and Casey Legumina earned All-West Coast Conference baseball first-team honors and were among five GU players honored by the league, WCC officials announced Tuesday.

The first-team honors were the first all-conference awards for Bies and Legumina. Redshirt freshman Ernie Yake was named to the All-WCC second team and the WCC All-Freshman team, Mac Lardner was named to the All-WCC second team and Alek Jacob (North Central High) joined Yake on the all-freshman team.

Bies, a redshirt junior, finished 4-3 in WCC play with a 2.56 earned-run average and a league-best 72 strikeouts in nine starts. The right-hander threw two complete games, including a complete-game shutout at San Francisco. Bies was named the WCC Pitcher of the Week twice.

Legumina, sophomore, is one of the top closers in the nation with a school-record 13 saves on the year and a league-leading eight against WCC competition. He piled up 36 strikeouts in 33.0 innings against WCC opponents with a 1.91 ERA. Legumina closed the end of four Gonzaga shutouts in WCC action.

Yake had a breakout rookie season, leading the Zags in batting average at .321 on the year and .299 against the WCC. He also posted a .395 on-base percentage in the league, stole five bases and drew 12 walks.

Lardner cemented his spot as the Sunday starter early in the year and was dominant in WCC action, compiling a 2.53 ERA with a 4-2 record. He held opponents to a .258 batting average in the league in his nine starts.

Jacob rounded out the GU award winners and the starting rotation, earning all-freshman honors for his fantastic season. He went 5-3 in WCC action with a 2.86 ERA.

Second-seeded Gonzaga will be back in action Thursday in the first round of the WCC Championship against third-seeded Loyola Marymount at 7 p.m. in Stockton, California.