UNLV roundup: Stott semifinalist for two national baseball awards

UNLV junior shortstop Bryson Stott was named a semifinalist for two national baseball awards.

The Desert Oasis product is one of 25 players in the running for the Golden Spikes Award, which recognizes the country’s top amateur, and one of 14 in contention for the Brooks Wallace Award, recognizing the top collegiate shortstop.

Stott is batting .369 with 10 home runs, 35 RBIs, 61 runs, 19 doubles and 50 walks through 51 games. He ranks among the top 100 in 12 NCAA Division I statistical categories.

USA Baseball will reveal the Golden Spikes finalists on May 29, with fans able to vote online for a winner through June 10 at GoldenSpikesAward.com. The award will be presented on June 14 in Omaha, Nebraska.

SOFTBALL

Sophomore shortstop Samantha Diaz was voted the Mountain West’s co-defensive player of the year, and sophomore first baseman Mia Trejo, junior second baseman Justine Federe and freshman pitcher Jenny Bressler were named to the 16-member all-league first team.

Diaz, the first Rebel to win top defensive honors since the award was introduced in 2014, totaled 94 putouts, 188 assists and nine errors for a .959 fielding percentage. The Rancho Cucamonga, California, native was involved in 11 double plays and batted .311 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs.

Trejo, from Tucson, Arizona, batted .315 with eight home runs, 42 RBIs, 26 runs and 32 walks in 50 games. Federe, from Chula Vista, California, batted .387 with six home runs, 38 RBIs, 35 runs and 14 doubles in 50 games.

Bressler, from Canton, Michigan, went 23-5 with a 2.10 ERA in 37 appearances, including 30 starts. She worked 183 innings and notched 154 strikeouts, with 15 complete games and six shutouts.

UNLV won eight of its final nine games to finish 36-14 overall and 14-9 in the Mountain West.