Tuesday, January 28, 2020

PORTLAND, Ore. – With the GNAC baseball season set to start on Friday, two of the conference’s top players landed on the 2020 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II All-America and Preseason All-West Region teams.

Montana State Billings senior first baseman Daniel Cipriano leads the GNAC’s two selections. He was one of five players to earn unanimous selection to the All-West Region Team and was also selected as a Second Team Preseason All-American. Cipriano is joined by Western Oregon senior utility player Connor McCord, who saw action on the mound and at first base in 2019. In addition to the regional honors, McCord was named an honorable mention preseason All-American.

Cipriano transferred to Montana State Billings after two seasons at Moorpark College in California, and it didn’t take him very long to solidify himself as one of the top players in the GNAC and Division II. He was named both the GNAC Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in 2019 as he led the conference with a .405 batting average, a .528 on-base percentage and a .827 slugging percentage while racking up 68 hits, 59 runs, 18 home runs and 52 RBI.

Paving the way in the Yellowjackets’ road to the GNAC regular-season and GNAC Championships titles, Cipriano went on to earn Second Team All-American honors by the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA). He was also named a Third Team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and the NCBWA.

McCord earned First Team All-GNAC honors as a utility player last year. On the mound, McCord finished the season with a career-best 2.33 earned run average to go with a .182 opponent batting average, 50 strikeouts and three saves in 11 appearances and five starts.

A D2CCA and NCBWA First Team All-West Region selection, McCord ranked fourth in the GNAC with 42 RBI, eighth with a .556 slugging percentage and 14th with a .303 batting average. He finished the season with 43 hits, eight home runs and a .986 fielding percentage. McCord’s 19 career home runs and 116 career RBI rank second all-time in Western Oregon history.

Montana State Billings and Western Oregon both enter the season in the NCBWA Preseason West Region Rankings. The Yellowjackets claimed the No. 5 spot while the Wolves are ranked No 8. UC San Diego sits atop the poll after finishing last season 41-16 overall. Northwest Nazarene was also among other teams receiving votes.