ORANGE, Calif. – Three First Team and two Second Team selections comprised the Chapman University baseball team's All-SCIAC awards for 2023. AJ Anzai, Cole Minato and Max Banks earned a spot on the First Team while Brad Shimabuku and Wyatt Thompson were Second Team selections.
Anzai and Minato were both recognized on the All-SCIAC team for the second consecutive year but were elevated to the First Team after earning Second Team honors last season. Banks earned his first All-SCIAC selection.
Anzai hit .380 in SCIAC games this year and ranked second in the conference with 28 RBIs. He scored 22 times while hitting four doubles, four homers and a triple. While hitting in the middle of the Panthers' order for most of the season, he also made three appearances on the mound, earning a pair of wins.
Minato hit .372 during the SCIAC season with 21 runs scored and 17 RBIs. His 12 sacrifice bunts led the conference while he also ranked in the top-5 with three sacrifice flies. He also stole four bases and struck out just five times during SCIAC games. He had 12 mutli-hit game in the 24-game SCIAC schedule.
Banks' First Team selection give all three Chapman starters a First Team nod in their careers as Thompson and Grant Manning earned the distinction last year. As a staff, Chapman ranked second in the conference with a 3.59 ERA and ranks third with 7.23 strikeouts per nine innings. Banks led the Panthers with a 2.74 ERA in SCIAC games and led with 46 innings pitched while posting a 4-1 record and allowing batters to hit just .224 against him.
Thompson's 43 strikeouts ranked fourth in the SCIAC while he posted a 3.15 ERA and a 4-2 record in his eight SCIAC games. He tossed a pair of complete games and shutout Cal Lutheran in his last start to earn the Second Team selection and second All-SCIAC selection of his career.
Shimabuku was the Panthers' fifth All-SCIAC pick, earning his second Second Team honor. Shimabuku missed all of 2022 after an early season injury and returned to the top of the Panthers' order in 2023. He hit .369 in SCIAC games, scoring 25 times, smacking 10 doubles, driving in 18 RBIs and hitting two home runs. He ranked second in the SCIAC in doubles and sacrifice bunts as well as ranking third in runs scored.
The Panthers head into the SCIAC Tournament today as the No. 3 seed and will face Claremont-Mudd-Scipps at 3 p.m. on the road.
By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director
