Wallach tops nine Pirates recognized by conference

Orange Coast College sophomore Brett Wallach, who has been prolific on the mound and in the batters box this season, has been named Orange Empire Conference Player of the Year by conference coaches.

Wallach is one of eight players recognized after the Pirates (29-13, 13-6 in conference) were one of three teams to share the Orange Empire crown.

Sophomores Drew Hillman, Beck Wheeler and Brett Williams were first-team honorees. Sophomores Chris Licon, DJ Arellano and Ryan Sheeks, as well as freshman Calvin Drummond, represented OCC on the second team.

John Altobelli shared Coach of the Year laurels.

Wallach was 7-1 with a 2.18 earned-run average. He struck out 90 in 82 2/3 innings on the bump, allowing just 60 hits and holding foes to a .205 batting average.

Playing primarily first base when not pitching, the son of former major leaguer Tim Wallach hit .352 with three home runs and 41 runs batted it.

Hillman, a third baseman who has signed to play at UC Irvine, is a repeat first-team honoree. He hit .369 and led the team with 10 homers and 42 RBIs. With 19 doubles, 32 of his 62 hits were for extra-bases, fueling a .696 slugging percentage. He also had five stolen bases in seven attempts.

Williams, who made 18 of his 21 pitching appearances out of the bullpen, was 4-2 with four saves and a 2.01 ERA. He allowed just 41 hits and 14 walks in 52 2/3 innings. Opponents hit .212 against him.

Wheeler, a 6-foot-4 shortstop, hit .357 with one homer and 22 RBIs.

Licon was 7-2 with a 3.21 ERA, while Drummond rounded out a dominant starting rotation by going 7-4 with a 4.76 ERA.

Sheeks, an outfielder, hit .354 with one homer, 27 RBIs and a team-leading six stolen bases.

Arellano, a valuable leader on and off the field, hit .313 with 20 RBIs and provided solid defense behind the plate.

OCC plays host to a best-of-three regional playoff series beginning Friday against an opponent to be determined.

— Barry Faulkner