Washington State sluggers Sam Brown, Jacob McKeon earn All-Pac-12 honors

The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
·2 min read

May 23—From staff reports

PULLMAN — Washington State sluggers Sam Brown and Jacob McKeon landed on the All-Pac-12 baseball team while three other Cougars earned honorable mention nods when the conference revealed its postseason awards Tuesday.

Brown, a junior first baseman, led WSU with a .375 batting average and 58 RBIs. He posted a team-high 22 multiple-hit games. The Portland transfer finished third in the conference in doubles (19), sixth in slugging percentage (.674) and sixth in RBIs.

McKeon, a senior, collected all-conference honors for the second straight season. The designated hitter batted .341 with 18 doubles, eight home runs and 47 RBIs.

McKeon closed his career on a 30-game on-base streak. He had 21 multiple-hit games, including the team's only five-hit game of the season — McKeon went 5 for 5 with two homers during a 7-6 loss to No. 3 Stanford on Thursday.

McKeon is the second WSU player in program history to earn All-Pac-12 honors in back-to-back seasons, joining pitcher Ian Hamilton (2014-15).

Outfielder Jonah Advincula, infielder Elijah Hainline and pitcher Dakota Hawkins were also recognized by the conference.

Advincula hit .350 while leading WSU in runs scored (53), doubles (20), triples (four) and stolen bases (24). The junior transfer out of the University of Redlands (California) finished third in the Pac-12 in doubles and stolen bases — the most doubles by a Cougar since 2006 and the most stolen bases since 1996. Advincula added five home runs and 33 RBIs.

Hainline, a sophomore from Spokane, hit .337 with a team-high 12 home runs — the most in a season by a WSU player since 2012 — and 12 doubles.

Hawkins emerged as WSU's ace during his senior season. He finished 5-3 with a 4.32 earned-run average.

Hawkins finished third in the conference in strikeouts (92) — a top-10 mark in WSU history — allowing 82 hits and 27 walks. The Chehalis, Washington, native claimed Collegiate Baseball National Pitcher of the Week honors twice. He took home the award after striking out 10 in a 7-1 win over Oregon on March 17, then was honored again after striking out 12 in a 2-1 win over Washington on May 5.

The Cougars finished 29-23 , 10-19 in Pac-12 play. They ended up 10th in the conference standings — the top nine made the Pac-12 Tournament field.