Five Trojans Earn All Pac-12 Honorable Mention

Pac-12 Release

LOS ANGELES – Five USC Trojan baseball players earned All Pac-12 honorable mention with the release of the conference's postseason awards today. Solomon Bates, Chase Bushor, Connor Lunn, Dillon Paulson and Blake Sabol all earned the recognition.

It is the first postseason recognition for all five players.

Bates started the year in the bullpen for the Trojans and by the end of the year was the team's most effective starter, finishing with a 6-3 record and 3.14 ERA. The junior righty had a 3.76 strikeout to walk ratio, seventh best in the Pac-12, with a team-high 79 strikeouts and 21 walks. Bates' 1.07 WHIP was sixth in the Pac-12 and his 7.22 hits allowed per nine were eighth best.

Bushor transferred to USC from Georgetown prior to this season and promptly became a regular in the Trojan starting lineup at both second base and shortstop. Bushor finished second on the team with a .301 batting average, notching nine doubles, one triple and one homer to go along with 17 RBI and 20 runs scored. He was part of one of the best defensive infields in the country this season, finishing with just three errors and a .984 fielding percentage.

Lunn served as the Trojans' closer at the back end of its bullpen this year, tallying the fourth most saves in the conference with eight on the season to make him one of the Pac-12's top bullpen arms. The sophomore right-hander posted a 2.97 ERA in 30.1 innings pitched, striking out 32 batters while walking just nine. He posted a 2-2 record in 22 appearances, all out of the bullpen.

Paulson served as USC's top power bat and run producer this season, finishing with a team-high 41 RBI and 10 home runs as a junior. Paulson slugged an even .500 this year and walked 35 times, also scoring a team-high 35 runs on the year. A sure-handed first-baseman, Paulson committed just two errors for a USC squad that finished the year with the 13th-best fielding percentage in the country. He also had 14 doubles and one triple on the season.

Sabol was an all-purpose player for the Trojans this year, spending time in the outfield and behind the plate, as well as getting starts at DH. Sabol hit .276 for the season, nothing 14 extra-base hits with four homers, two triples and eight doubles. The sophomore also led the Trojans with eight stolen bases, going 8-for-8 on stolen base attempts. He started all 54 games for the Trojans.

Players Mentioned

Solomon Bates

Chase Bushor

Connor Lunn

Dillon Paulson

Blake Sabol