TicketsCORVALLIS, Ore. – University of Cincinnati baseball had three student-athletes named to the Corvallis Regional All-Tournament Team, as announced by host Oregon State after the completion of the Regional Monday night.
Second baseman Jace Mercer, third baseman Eric Santiago and outfielder A.J. Bumpass were all recognized on the eleven-person team. The trio helped lead UC to its first NCAA Regional victory since 1971 as they opened play in the first NCAA postseason in 45 years by beating national seed and reigning national champion Oregon State.
Mercer was relentless at the plate, hitting .727 through the three games with a double and a walks. He reached base at a .750 percentage and was perfect in the field with nine putouts and no errors. Mercer's hot bat was a continuation from the American Athletic Conference Championship game where he went 5-for-5 with a grand slam, four RBI and three runs scored. Mercer hit .621 through all seven of the Bearcats' postseason contests.
Eric Santiago also had a big Regional weekend, hitting .357 with two doubles and four RBI. He made tough plays at third base look routine while recording three putouts and six assists with no errors. He sparked the UC offense in the win over Oregon State on Friday, going 2-for-5 with a RBI double. Santiago led the team with three RBI in another two-hit performance on Saturday before adding in a final hit on Sunday.
A.J. Bumpass completed one of the most impressive postseasons in UC history with a .500 average with a triple and homerun in three Regional games. The AAC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player opened up NCAA play with a 5-for-5 game at the plate that included a triple, homerun and three RBI. For his performance, he was named Friday's top Regionals performer by numerous outlets. Bumpass hit .583 overall in the AAC Tournament and Corvallis Regional, finishing his UC career in a remarkable way.
After UC fell to Creighton to end the season on Sunday, the Bluejays rolled to an 11-7 victory against Michigan to force a Regional final on Monday. Michigan prevailed 17-6 to be crowned Regional champion and now moves on to face No. 1 UCLA in Super Regional action this weekend.
// 2019 CORVALLIS REGIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Most Outstanding Player: Jimmy Kerr, Michigan
Catcher: Adley Rutschman, Oregon State
First Base: Jimmy Kerr, Michigan
Second Base: Jace Mercer, Cincinnati
Third Base: Eric Santiago, Cincinnati
Shortstop: Jack Strunc, Creighton
Outfield: AJ Bumpass, Cincinnati
Outfield: Will Robertson, Creighton
Outfield: Christian Bullock, Michigan
Designated Hitter: Jordan Nwogu, Michigan
Pitcher: Karl Kauffmann, Michigan
Pitcher: Ben Dotzler, Creighton
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Second baseman Jace Mercer, third baseman Eric Santiago and outfielder A.J. Bumpass were all recognized on the eleven-person team. The trio helped lead UC to its first NCAA Regional victory since 1971 as they opened play in the first NCAA postseason in 45 years by beating national seed and reigning national champion Oregon State.
Mercer was relentless at the plate, hitting .727 through the three games with a double and a walks. He reached base at a .750 percentage and was perfect in the field with nine putouts and no errors. Mercer's hot bat was a continuation from the American Athletic Conference Championship game where he went 5-for-5 with a grand slam, four RBI and three runs scored. Mercer hit .621 through all seven of the Bearcats' postseason contests.
Eric Santiago also had a big Regional weekend, hitting .357 with two doubles and four RBI. He made tough plays at third base look routine while recording three putouts and six assists with no errors. He sparked the UC offense in the win over Oregon State on Friday, going 2-for-5 with a RBI double. Santiago led the team with three RBI in another two-hit performance on Saturday before adding in a final hit on Sunday.
A.J. Bumpass completed one of the most impressive postseasons in UC history with a .500 average with a triple and homerun in three Regional games. The AAC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player opened up NCAA play with a 5-for-5 game at the plate that included a triple, homerun and three RBI. For his performance, he was named Friday's top Regionals performer by numerous outlets. Bumpass hit .583 overall in the AAC Tournament and Corvallis Regional, finishing his UC career in a remarkable way.
After UC fell to Creighton to end the season on Sunday, the Bluejays rolled to an 11-7 victory against Michigan to force a Regional final on Monday. Michigan prevailed 17-6 to be crowned Regional champion and now moves on to face No. 1 UCLA in Super Regional action this weekend.
// 2019 CORVALLIS REGIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Most Outstanding Player: Jimmy Kerr, Michigan
Catcher: Adley Rutschman, Oregon State
First Base: Jimmy Kerr, Michigan
Second Base: Jace Mercer, Cincinnati
Third Base: Eric Santiago, Cincinnati
Shortstop: Jack Strunc, Creighton
Outfield: AJ Bumpass, Cincinnati
Outfield: Will Robertson, Creighton
Outfield: Christian Bullock, Michigan
Designated Hitter: Jordan Nwogu, Michigan
Pitcher: Karl Kauffmann, Michigan
Pitcher: Ben Dotzler, Creighton
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Stay connected with Bearcats Baseball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.