2011 All-PacWest Baseball Team

Phoenix, AZ -- A total of four Urban Knights from Academy of Art University baseball were among the names announced Tuesday on the 2011 All-PacWest Baseball Team. After an impressive first season in the ART U black and red, junior infielder Zach Babitt captured a place on the All-PacWest First Team. Senior infielder Darnell Quinney, among the team leaders in extra-base hits, and junior outfielder Johnathan Robbins, the PacWest's top base stealer, were also honored with All-PacWest Second Team selections. Finally, right-handed pitcher Wade Broadstreet earned PacWest Co-Freshman of the Year for his consistency on the mound throughout season.

“Having four guys receive post-season awards this year is just an indication of where we are headed,” Head Coach Brian Guinn said. “As we have more time and become more established, you may be seeing more than that at some point.”

This year, the PacWest coaches or designated representatives from each school selected 30 student-athletes for All-Conference accolades. The squad consisted of a First Team, Second Team, Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, and Freshman of the Year. Four Urban Knights were awarded post-season honors in Tuesday's announcement on the PacWest Magazine Radio Show.

“Looking at where we were last year and where we are now with four guys on the conference team, the future looks good,” Coach Guinn said. “It's a tremendous accomplishment by not only the guys, but also by the whole team itself. We had contributions from everyone this year, but only a select few can be on those teams and be recognized by the coaches in the conference. We were definitely better than our record showed this season and now it really shows. I'm excited for us to come back and take care of business next year.”

As the conference's top second baseman, Babitt became the first ART U player to ever garner an All-PacWest First Team selection. The junior completed Academy of Art's 2011 season ranked third in the PacWest Conference in stolen bases (12), tied for second in walks (31), eighth in runs scored (35), and eighth in on-base percentage (.435).

Babitt hit over .300 for the majority of the season and paced the team in numerous offensive categories. The Knights' leader in RBIs and runs scored had arguably the two best games of his career come within a week of one another in the middle of the 2011 campaign. Against Grand Canyon on Mar. 12, Babitt was 4-for-6 with four RBIs and four runs scored. Then, on Mar. 20, the junior went a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored versus Hawaii Pacific. This year, Babitt earned three PacWest Weekly Top 10 selections.

“Zach worked very hard this year,” Coach Guinn said. “After coming from San Diego State and not having an opportunity to play all the time, he joined the Academy and was able to play every day here. Zach comes from a baseball family and he understands what it will take to play professionally. He was drafted once before, but his skills have gotten so much better along with his work ethic and focus. Zach's an ideal guy for everybody to see as we're getting to that point where our team is recognized by other coaches in the conference.”

A dynamic athlete, Quinney was one of two Academy of Art players to make it onto the All-PacWest Second Team. The Richmond, CA native was not only a .305 hitter by the year's end, but he also threw 38.2 innings as a regular in the Knights' starting rotation. The senior infielder/pitcher wrapped up his Urban Knight career hitting over .290, including two seasons with an above-.300 batting average.

Quinney started off 2011 on fire with four multi-hit games in his first five starts. In addition to tying his career-high of three RBIs in a single contest on three occasions this year, the usual ART U cleanup hitter finished third on the team with a total of 23 RBIs. After notching 10 doubles and one triple, Quinney ended the year second on the squad in extra-base hits (11). The senior also took home one PacWest Weekly Top 10 honor in 2011.

“Darnell hit fourth for us for most of the year and he worked hard during offseason to be a better hitter and a better player,” Coach Guinn said. “It really paid off for him and it seems that the guys who work hardest get the rewards. Darnell was a big asset to our team and in his senior year, he wanted to go out with a bang.”

After continuing to demonstrate a prolific base-stealing ability this season, Robbins was recognized with an All-PacWest Second Team selection. The junior outfielder accomplished an impressive feat by leading the PacWest Conference in stolen bases (26) for the second consecutive year. He also ranked ninth in runs scored (34) and ninth in walks (25).

Robbins enjoyed several highlights in 2011 including a game versus Dixie State on Feb. 25 in which he swiped four bases to tie a PacWest single-game record. Delving deeper into his numbers this year, the Charlotte, NC native not only led the conference in stolen bases, but he did so by an enormous 14-steal margin. Robbins also added a trio of three-hit games to his resume this year to give him six for his career. Late in the year, Robbins was one of the PacWest's hottest hitters and enjoyed a season-best seven-game hit streak.

“We're just seeing the tip of the iceberg with Johnathan,” Coach Guinn said. “He's a basketball player learning the game of baseball and there is a bright future is ahead of him so hopefully he'll keep working hard. He can really keep getting better and better every year and his hard work is definitely paying off. I'm pleased with the guys like him and their work ethics. For the ones that are leaving, hopefully they will keep working hard and hopefully the ones coming back will continue to work towards a conference championship.”

As the Urban Knights' number one starting pitcher by the end of the season, Broadstreet was bestowed the honor of Co-Freshman of the Year for his tireless efforts. The Brea, CA native consistently went deep into games and concluded the season ranked seventh in the PacWest Conference in innings pitched (66.2), ninth in opposing batting average (.300), and tenth in earned run average (5.40) though he paced the conference in ERA at one point this year. He shared Freshman of the Year honors with catcher Lanan Rice-Kashima from Hawaii Pacific.

Although Broadstreet did not make his first start on the mound until mid-March, he still managed to log the second-most innings pitched on the team and lead the Knights in ERA. The freshman right-hander had arguably the best outing of his season, an 8.0-inning performance with only one run allowed, come at home against Hawaii-Hilo on Mar. 30. Late in the year, Broadstreet would strike out a season-high five batters versus Hawaii Pacific on Apr. 30.

“Wade did a tremendous job this year,” Coach Guinn said. “He came on as a walk-on and I saw some things I liked early. Once he got onto the field, he was a tremendous competitor and it showed in his performance. Wade can do multiple things on the field and he's just another indicator of where this baseball program is going as well as Academy of Art University itself. The athletes are working hard in the classroom as well as on the field and they're definitely starting to raise some eyebrows.”

A press release will also come from the PacWest Conference on their website here!