Mota Named OEC Co-MVP, LHP Tuthill & OF Miller Also Named First-Team All-OEC

RIVERSIDE -- A trio of players from the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers baseball program have been named to All-Orange Empire Conference (OEC) First Team and a quartet of Tigers has been named to the All-OEC Second Team at the annual OEC coaches meeting recently.

RCC sophomore designated hitter/RHP closer Ryan Mota (Fontana - Kaiser HS '14) -- who is pictured -- was named OEC co-MVP, along with Orange Coast College (OCC) sophomore short stop Travis Moniot.

Cypress College sophomore starting RHP Andrew Quizada was named OEC Pitcher of the Year and 26-year OCC head baseball coach John Altobelli was named OEC Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career.

Also named to the All-OEC First Team from RCC were sophomore starting LHP Blake Tuthill  (Redlands - Redlands East Valley HS '14) and sophomore OF Dean Miller (Riverside - Ramona HS '15).

Named to the All-OEC Second team from RCC were sophomore starting RHP Matt Acosta (San Bernardino - Cajon HS '14), sophomore catcher Peter Gomez (Eastvale - Eleanor Roosevelt HS '14), freshman short stop Peter McEvoy (Colorado Springs, CO - Pine Creek HS '15) and freshman third baseman Jake Barham (Long Beach - Woodrow Wilson HS '15).

Mota started all 21 OEC games and was third on the Tigers with a .337 batting average (28 for 83). In OEC play, Mota led RCC in hits (co-led with 28), runs (20), doubles (eight), home runs (seven), and RBI (26). On the mound, Mota had six appearances and three saves.

Overall, Mota started all 42 games and was second on RCC in batting average (.331 in 169 at bats), He led the team in home runs (12) and RBI (46). He also co-led in hits (56) and doubles (11).

Tuthill, RCC's Tuesday (No. 1) pitcher, made seven starts, pitched 51-1/3 innings, allowed 12 runs (earned), walked ten and had 35 strikeouts. He was 5-1 and had a 2.10 earned run average (ERA) in OEC action. Overall, Tuthill co-led with 14 starts (co-team-leading 13 starts) and led with 68 strikeouts and a 10-1 overall record.

Miller was fourth on RCC in batting average at .325 (27 for 83) and was second in runs (19) and RBI (15, co-led). Overall, Miller started 41 of 42 games and led RCC with a .341 batting average and 40 runs. He co-led with 56 hits and 11 doubles and tied for second with 25 RBI.

Acosta, RCC's Thursday (No. 2) pitcher, made seven starts, pitched 46-1/3 innings, allowed 22 runs (19 earned), walked eight and struck out 23. Acosta had two complete games, was 3-2 and had a 3.69 ERA.

Gomez also started all 21 OEC games and led RCC batters with a .350 average (21 for 60). Behind the plate, Gomez had two pickoffs.

McEvoy also started all 21 OEC games and batted .315 (co-led with 28 hits in 89 at bats).

Barham, who was inserted into the lineup at third base at the beginning of the OEC season, also played all 21 games and was second on the Tigers with a .341 OEC average (co-led with 28 hits in 82 at bats) and co-led with 15 RBI.

In OEC action, RCC had a team batting average of .289 (207 hits in 717 at bats), while opponents batted .269 (195 hits in 724 at bats). Pitchingwise, RCC had a team ERA of 3.35 (70 earned runs in 188-1/3 innings), while opponents ERA was 4.84 (99 earned runs in 184.0 innings).

RCC was 15-6 in OEC play and finished second in the conference standings. Second-year RCC head coach Rudy Arguelles finished his 18th year with program.

Riverside City, which was the No. 10 seed in the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) South Regional Playoffs, finished 29-13 overall after a pair of losses -- 12-11 (last Friday) and 3-2 (last Saturday) -- to No. 7 seed (and host) Pasadena City College. 

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