ABCA Release

FULLERTON, Calif. – Dalton Blaser was selected to the 2016 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-West Region First Team, it was announced Wednesday.

Blaser was selected as an outfielder and was one of four players from the Big West Conference (Garrett Hampson and Darren McCaughan, Long Beach State; Shane Bieber, UC Santa Barbara) selected to the first team and five Big West players (Vince Fernandez, UC Riverside; ABCA/Rawlings All-West Second Team) overall.

Blaser, who was drafted in the eighth round (248th overall) by the New York Yankees in the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft and signed with the organization on Tuesday, led the team in hits (74), RBIs (38), slugging percentage (.485), on-base percentage (.439) and walks (30). Blaser also belted four home runs in 2016, the first round-trippers of his career. He recorded a multi-homer game on May 8 against UC Riverside, hitting two against the Highlanders to help the Titans complete a three-game sweep at Goodwin Field. Blaser also drove in four runs twice during the season and tallied his first career four-hit game this season.

Blaser was named the 2016 Big West Conference Field Player of the Year, the second straight season a Titans player earned the honor (David Olmedo-Barrera, 2015 co-Player). In conference play, Blaser batted .419 in 24 Big West contests. He earned the conference player of the week honors on May 9 after going 8-for-10 in the three-game set against the Highlanders, including a two-home run game in the series finale.