Tucson, Ariz. – Coach Jay Johnson announced Monday that infielder J.J. Matijevic has been named the baseball program's Summer Player of the Year, while right-handed pitcher Luke Soroko was named the Pitcher of the Year.
Both players hand standout summers with their respective clubs, despite late starts. With the Wildcats playing through June en route to a National Runner-Up finish, Matijevic and Soroko didn't join their teams until the summer season was a few weeks old. But both made considerable contributions once they joined.
Matijevic starred for the Falmouth Commodores in the Cape Cod Collegiate League. Matijevic, who played the outfield and first base for the Commodores after playing second base and serving as the designated hitter for the Wildcats, had a breakout summer and was one of the top players in the Cape.
All total, Matijevic played in 31 games and posted a .357 batting average. In 115 at-bats, Matijevic had 11 doubles, five home runs, 25 RBI, 19 runs scored and five stolen bases. He batted .376 in 23 regular season games with a pair of home runs and 15 RBI. He played in eight more games with the Commodores in the playoffs and slugged three home runs and drove in 10 runs to go with a pair of doubles.
He helped the Commodores reach the championship series and win the West Division Championship for the first time since 2004. Matijevic is now preparing for his junior season after being a significant contributor for the Wildcats last season on their run to the College World Series. Matijevic played in 71 games for the Cats last season and batted .287 with 17 doubles, 37 RBI and four home runs.
While Matijevic was producing in the Cape Cod League, Soroko topped the rotation for the Chico Heat of the Great West League. Soroko, who is entering his senior season, posted a 1.64 ERA in 43 2/3 innings pitched for the Heat this summer. Soroko went 4-0 with 32 strikeouts to 15 walks. In the regular season, Soroko posted a 1.81 ERA in 34 2/3 innings.
In the playoffs, Soroko made one start and tossed a complete game, earning a win and striking out seven, while walking three. Soroko finished his summer with the Heat with back-to-back complete game wins. He helped the Heat capture the Great West League championship with a gem in the final series against the Medford Rogues.
Trailing 1-0 in the final series, Soroko tossed his complete game to lift the Heat to a 9-3 win to tie the series at a game apiece. One night later, the Heat topped the Rogues to capture the league championship.
Johnson and the Wildcats coaching staff has named summer Pitchers and Players of the Year in each of their two offseasons in Tucson. Last summer, Zach Gibbons and Matt Hartman earned the honors.
The Cats had a largely successful summer and Soroko wasn't the only Wildcat to capture a championship title. Hartman and Austin Schnabel were part of the Santa Barbara Foresters team that captured the California Collegiate League title and then went on to travel to Wichita, Kansas to win the NBC World Series. The NBC or National Baseball Congress World Series features 15 league champions from around the country to compete for a national title.
Another right-handed pitcher, Cody Deason, also captured a summer championship. Deason pitched for the Mat-Su Miners in the Alaskan Baseball League. Deason helped lead the Miners to the championship, pitching 19 innings with a 1.89 ERA. He struck out 19 and walked five, while going 1-1 total.