ABCA RELEASE

POMONA - Last Friday night, June 2, in Cary, N.C., Cal Poly Pomona right-hander Caleb Reyes was announced as one of five starting pitchers on the 21-member 2023 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Division II All-America Third Team.

A product of Encino, Reyes was the unanimous NCAA Division II West Region Pitcher of the Year and an All-West Region First Team pick, chosen as such in May by the ABCA, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA). He was previously voted by 11 league head coaches as the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Most Valuable Pitcher and an All-CCAA first-teamer.

Reyes went 7-3 on the year and led Cal Poly Pomona in wins, ERA (2.67), WHIP (1.02), innings pitched (77.2) and strikeouts (68), walking 14 for a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.86. Opponents batted just .223 against him. CPP was 7-4 in Reyes' starts, and 9-4 over his 13 appearances. He went at least 5.0 frames in nine of those 11 starts.

Reyes was listed as a senior all year after spending four seasons at Division III Occidental College in Los Angeles. The Tigers did not compete in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reyes only pitched for Oxy in 2022 after switching positions from catcher. He has indicated an intention to return to CPP for what should be his final season of eligibility in 2024.

Reyes' CCAA ranks were first in WHIP, second in ERA and walks allowed per nine innings (1.62), third in strikeout-to-walk ratio and hits allowed per nine innings (7.53), fourth in opposing batting average, fifth in innings, tied for fifth in wins, and sixth in strikeouts. Nationally, he is 16th in WHIP, 26th in strikeout-to-walk ratio, 28th in walks allowed per nine innings, 37th in ERA and 57th in hits allowed per nine innings.

Reyes' first season in the green and gold began in relief as he combined with fellow right-hander and All-West Region honoree Rhys Stevens on a pair of home shutouts versus UCCS (4-0) on Opening Day on Feb. 3, and Colorado School of Mines (1-0) on Feb. 10. Reyes tossed 3.2 no-hit innings with a walk and four strikeouts and four one-hit frames with no walks and a season-high eight punch-outs, respectively, for two saves.

The 2018 graduate of Birmingham Community Charter High School in Lake Balboa moved into the starting rotation on March 4 in Hayward and remained there, firing seven more scoreless innings in another combined shutout (5-0), allowing just four hits while fanning seven to earn his first winning decision as a Bronco. Reyes was in fact involved in all three of the team's shutouts in 2023, and ultimately began his CPP career by throwing 16.2 consecutive scoreless frames.

Reyes also won his second start with seven more stellar innings (2 H, ER, 2 BB, 7 K) in an 8-1 home thrashing of CCAA double champion and West Region runner-up Cal State Monterey Bay on March 11. He went on to provide eight shutout innings in a 5-3 decision at Cal State Dominguez Hills on April 1, and twirl a nine-inning complete-game gem for a 6-1 home win over Stanislaus State on April 21. The two-time CCAA Pitcher of the Week (March 6 and April 3) had taken over as the Friday starter for the last three weeks of the regular season.

Reyes is the program's first ABCA, D2CCA or NCBWA West Region Pitcher of the Year, with former slugger David Armendariz the 2014 ABCA West Region Position Player of the Year. Fellow right-handed ace Will Rudy, a fifth-round draft choice of the Milwaukee Brewers last July, also was a third-team ABCA/Rawlings All-American a year ago.

The ABCA/Rawlings All-America teams are selected by the eight members of the ABCA NCAA Division II All-America Committee, which includes 13th-year Cal Poly Pomona head coach Randy Betten. Unanimous West Region Position Player of the Year Jakob Christian of 2022 national runner-up Point Loma made the ABCA All-America First Team, with outfielder Giovanni Del Negro of West Region champ and CCAA foe Cal State San Bernardino joining Reyes on the third team.

Cal Poly Pomona finished 29-23 overall and 18-17 in the CCAA, good for fourth. The Broncos put together a resume that warranted an eighth NCAA Championship berth in the last 11 opportunities under Betten. They were knocked out by ninth-ranked host Cal State Monterey Bay at the West Regional #1 in Seaside on May 20. CPP has posted a winning overall record in all 12 on-the-field seasons with Betten in charge.

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