Bellevue College baseball, coming off a North Region title in 2023 and another 30-plus win season, announced their annual team awards as voted by BC baseball team members. The awards are part of a 50-plus year tradition with records dating back to 1970 when the program began.
Nate Cain edged out fellow outfielder Cam Hoiland for the Gold Glove Award. Cain sported a .991 fielding percentage on 110 tries.
Abe Affholter won the Silver Bat Award by a landslide after hitting .345 this year. The infielder who was named First Team All-North Region and ABCA Second Team All-American, recently made a scholarship commitment to Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC.
Hayden Byorick won perhaps the most prestigious award of all; the Paul Villiott Most Inspirational. This award is given annually to the teammate who stood behind his team and provided inspiration like no other. Byorick, a third-year sophomore, battled through a shoulder injury then sustained a career-ending wrist injury as he was hit by a pitch that fractured his arm. In a bizarre sequence of events, the umpire ruled Byorick’s broken arm as a foul ball. Byorick was unable to complete in what would be his final at bat of his career on a botched call. He then continued to attend practices and games to support his team for the remainder of the season. The award is named after Paul Villiott, one of the founding members of the Bellevue program in the early 1970s who lost a battle to leukemia shortly after his Bellevue playing days.
Konnor Sutton won by one vote over both Kole Bennett and Henry Hess for the Most Improved Award, which is given for the player who improved from fall camp to the end of the season. Sutton hit .500 at the NWAC Championships for the ‘dogs. He struck out only five times in 90 at bats this spring.
Ryan Lynch won the Most Valuable Pitcher which holds a deep history like no other. Several past winners have gone on to storied careers at the NCAA Division I and major league levels. Lynch swept all honors this year on the mound, earning All-North Region, All-NWAC, All-Tournament, and ABCA First Team All-American. He had the lowest ERA for a starting pitcher in the NWAC since Bellevue’s Blake Hawksworth, who went on to a career in the major leagues, set the record in 2002 with a 0.16 ERA. The Coastal Carolina commit ended the season with eight wins, zero losses, a 0.56 earned run average, with 78 strikeouts and only eight walks in 64 innings pitched.
Cam Hoiland won the Most Valuable Player Award. The left-hander hit .295 with sixteen doubles and four home runs and 30 RBIs while stealing 24 bases out of 25 attempts. Hoiland was also a threat on the mound, with eight wins and a 1.43 ERA. He struck out a whopping 88 batters this year. The Cal Poly commit led the staff in innings this year with 75.
all photos courtesy of BC Athletics / Rick May
Last Updated June 26, 2023
