Wednesday, May 24, 2023

PORTLAND, Ore. – Western Oregon senior and GNAC Pitcher of the Year Dylan Chalmers leads five conference selections to the 2023 Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-West Region Baseball Team as a first-team honoree.

Chalmers is the lone GNAC representative named to the D2CAA first team and is among five starting pitchers selected for the honor. Chalmers was the most dominant stater in the conference this season, leading the GNAC with a 3.13 ERA while compiling a 7-1 record. He did not allow a loss on the mound in the regular season. In 63.1 innings of work, Chalmers held the opposition to a .245 batting average to lead the conference while amassing 36 strikeouts.

Western Oregon and Montana State Billings lead all GNAC programs with two D2CAA All-West selections while Saint Martin’s has one.

Joining Chalmers on the All-West Team for the Wolves is second-team selection AJ Cortese for his work as a designated hitter. Cortese was one of the most reliable batters in the conference, ranking sixth in the GNAC with a .351 batting average. He also hit for power, notching 14 doubles, a triple and three home runs for a .537 slugging percentage that ranked fourth in the GNAC. His .434 on base percentage also ranked fifth.

Montana State Billings earned two all-region selections in second-team juniors Trevor Cassell and Payton Flynn. Cassell was one of five starting pitchers named to the second team after finishing the season with a 2.91 ERA through 43.1 innings of work. Cassell’s 4-2 record was highlighted by a pair of complete-game shutouts against Northwest Nazarene and Saint Martin’s in April. He held batters to a .234 average while racking up 31 strikeouts.

Flynn earned second-team honors as an outfielder after leading the GNAC in RBIs and home runs. Flynn showed his power regularly leading the conference with a .728 slugging percentage that ranks 36th in Division II while hitting 14 home runs, two triples and 16 doubles. He knocked in 46 runs while also ranking fourth in the conference with 61 hits.

Reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year Brady Bean nabbed second-team honors in his debut campaign at second base for Saint Martin’s. Bean was one of the top batters in the conference, finishing the season ranked second in the GNAC with a .384 batting average. He showed no shortage of power at the plate, ranking fifth in the conference with a .521 slugging percentage and led the GNAC with a .505 on base percentage while drawing 33 walks. Bean is the only freshman to be named to either team.

First-team selection Chalmers is now eligible to be selected to the D2CAA All-American Team which will be announced on June 1.