EUGENE – The American Baseball Coaches Coaches Association named Oregon outfielder Aaron Zavala and starting pitcher Robert Ahlstrom to the 2021 ABCA/Rawlings Division I West All-Region teams on Wednesday.
Zavala is a member of the first team, joining starting pitcher David Peterson (2017) and first baseman Ryon Healy (2013) as the only Ducks’ earning first-team honors since the return of baseball in 2009. Ahlstrom is the seventh Duck selected to the second team joining fellow pitchers Kenyon Yovan (2017), Stephen Nogosek (2016), Jake Reed (2014) and Jimmy Sherfy (2013), as well as third baseman Mitchell Tolman (2015) and shortstop J.J. Altobelli (2013).
Zavala, who has also been named the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year, a Collegiate Baseball second-team All-American and the NCBWA Region 9 Player of the Year, ended the season batting .392 with nine home runs, 38 RBI and 64 runs scored, while boasting a .525 on-base percentage and a .626 slugging percentage. He led the Ducks in batting average, runs, hits (78), slugging percentage, walks (50) and stolen bases (11). He set school records for on-base percentage, runs scored and walks.
After the regular season ended, the Keizer, Ore., native ranked second nationally in OBP (.001 behind the national leader), seventh in base on balls, ninth in base on balls per game (0.96) and 18th in batting average. He led the Pac-12 Conference in on-base percentage, walks and base on balls per game, while ranking second in batting average, sixth in hits per game and seventh in slugging percentage and hits.
He ended the season being named to the Eugene Regional All-Tournament Team batting .333 (6-for-18) with two home runs, four RBI and six runs scored.
Ahlstrom, a Eugene native who also claimed first-team All-Pac-12 honors, finished the season 9-3 with a 2.50 ERA while making 14 starts. He allowed just 25 earned runs on 77 hits in 90.0 innings while striking out 92 and walking just 16 with opposing batters hitting just .231 against him. He earned Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week honors three times, with two of those coming after dominating performances against rival Oregon State and the third coming against Washington. Oregon’s Friday night starter for most of the season, Ahlstrom picked up wins in his last seven starts while allowing two-or-fewer runs in four of the seven. He led the Pac-12 in ERA, while ranking second in wins, fourth in innings pitched, sixth in opposing batting average and sixth is strikeouts. He also became the first Ducks’ pitcher to be named to the league’s all-defensive team.
Ahlstrom ended the season being named to the Eugene Regional All-Tournament Team after picking up a win in a quality start over Gonzaga to help the Ducks into the championship game. He allowed three runs on seven hits in 8.0 innings with six strikeouts and one walk in a 7-3 Oregon win. Ahlstrom held Gonzaga scoreless over the final five innings of his outing.
All-Time ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Honors
First Team
2021 - Aaron Zavala (OF)
2017 – David Peterson (P)
2013 – Ryon Healy (1B)
Second Team
2021 – Robert Ahlstrom (P)
2017 – Kenyon Yovan (RP)
2016 – Stephen Nogosek (RP)
2015 – Mitchell Tolman (3B)
2014 – Jake Reed (RP)
2013 – J.J. Altobelli (SS)
2013 – Jimmie Sherfy (RP)
Zavala 2021 Honors and Awards
Ø Collegiate Baseball Second-Team All-America
Ø NCBWA District 9 Player of the Year
Ø ABCA Division I West All-Region First Team
Ø Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
Ø Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist
Ø Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year
Ø First-Team All-Pac-12 Conference
Ahlstrom 2021 Honors and Awards
Ø ABCA Division I West All-Region Second Team
Ø First-Team All-Pac-12 Conference
Ø Pac-12 Conference All-Defensive Team
Ø 3x Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week
Zavala is a member of the first team, joining starting pitcher David Peterson (2017) and first baseman Ryon Healy (2013) as the only Ducks’ earning first-team honors since the return of baseball in 2009. Ahlstrom is the seventh Duck selected to the second team joining fellow pitchers Kenyon Yovan (2017), Stephen Nogosek (2016), Jake Reed (2014) and Jimmy Sherfy (2013), as well as third baseman Mitchell Tolman (2015) and shortstop J.J. Altobelli (2013).
Zavala, who has also been named the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year, a Collegiate Baseball second-team All-American and the NCBWA Region 9 Player of the Year, ended the season batting .392 with nine home runs, 38 RBI and 64 runs scored, while boasting a .525 on-base percentage and a .626 slugging percentage. He led the Ducks in batting average, runs, hits (78), slugging percentage, walks (50) and stolen bases (11). He set school records for on-base percentage, runs scored and walks.
After the regular season ended, the Keizer, Ore., native ranked second nationally in OBP (.001 behind the national leader), seventh in base on balls, ninth in base on balls per game (0.96) and 18th in batting average. He led the Pac-12 Conference in on-base percentage, walks and base on balls per game, while ranking second in batting average, sixth in hits per game and seventh in slugging percentage and hits.
He ended the season being named to the Eugene Regional All-Tournament Team batting .333 (6-for-18) with two home runs, four RBI and six runs scored.
Ahlstrom, a Eugene native who also claimed first-team All-Pac-12 honors, finished the season 9-3 with a 2.50 ERA while making 14 starts. He allowed just 25 earned runs on 77 hits in 90.0 innings while striking out 92 and walking just 16 with opposing batters hitting just .231 against him. He earned Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week honors three times, with two of those coming after dominating performances against rival Oregon State and the third coming against Washington. Oregon’s Friday night starter for most of the season, Ahlstrom picked up wins in his last seven starts while allowing two-or-fewer runs in four of the seven. He led the Pac-12 in ERA, while ranking second in wins, fourth in innings pitched, sixth in opposing batting average and sixth is strikeouts. He also became the first Ducks’ pitcher to be named to the league’s all-defensive team.
Ahlstrom ended the season being named to the Eugene Regional All-Tournament Team after picking up a win in a quality start over Gonzaga to help the Ducks into the championship game. He allowed three runs on seven hits in 8.0 innings with six strikeouts and one walk in a 7-3 Oregon win. Ahlstrom held Gonzaga scoreless over the final five innings of his outing.
All-Time ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Honors
First Team
2021 - Aaron Zavala (OF)
2017 – David Peterson (P)
2013 – Ryon Healy (1B)
Second Team
2021 – Robert Ahlstrom (P)
2017 – Kenyon Yovan (RP)
2016 – Stephen Nogosek (RP)
2015 – Mitchell Tolman (3B)
2014 – Jake Reed (RP)
2013 – J.J. Altobelli (SS)
2013 – Jimmie Sherfy (RP)
Zavala 2021 Honors and Awards
Ø Collegiate Baseball Second-Team All-America
Ø NCBWA District 9 Player of the Year
Ø ABCA Division I West All-Region First Team
Ø Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
Ø Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist
Ø Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year
Ø First-Team All-Pac-12 Conference
Ahlstrom 2021 Honors and Awards
Ø ABCA Division I West All-Region Second Team
Ø First-Team All-Pac-12 Conference
Ø Pac-12 Conference All-Defensive Team
Ø 3x Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week
