The 2026 West Coast Conference baseball awards were announced this week, and Gonzaga University emerged as the clear leader, capturing four of the five major individual honors while placing five of its athletes on the all-conference first team.
Award Winners
Mikey Bell, the Bulldogs’ standout hitter, was named Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, a testament to his consistent dominance in slugging percentage, hits, runs and doubles across conference play.
Pitcher Karsten Sweum earned Pitcher of the Year after delivering a no-hitter at San Francisco and topping the league in strikeouts, underscoring his command on the mound.
Freshman phenom Landon Hood was recognized as Freshman of the Year after posting a 2.56 ERA and recording five saves during the conference schedule.
Defensive standout Jayden Lobliner of San Diego repeated as Defensive Player of the Year, posting a .986 fielding percentage and throwing out 12 would-be base stealers.
Coach Mark Machtolf was selected Coach of the Year after guiding the Bulldogs to a 22-5 conference record and securing the regular-season championship.
The West Coast Conference Baseball Tournament is set for May 20-23 at Scottsdale Stadium in Arizona, where the Bulldogs will enter as the No. 1 seed.