Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
Photo by Maxwell Williamson
Photo by Maxwell Williamson
Posted: Apr 29, 2026

Eight Cougars Earn All-ACCAC Division II Baseball Honors, Bryan Lorenz Named DII Player of the Year

PHOENIX ---

Eight members of the No. 16 South Mountain Community College baseball team earned a spot on the 2026 All-ACCAC Division II and All-Region I Division II teams, as voted upon by the league's Division II head coaches, and sophomore Bryan Lorenz received ACCAC Division II Player of the Year honors. Sophomores Bobby Pierce Jr. and Jack Meissner and freshmen Liu Rodriguez Jr. and Izaiah Moraga joined Lorenz on the First Team, while sophomores Ernie Alvarez and Luke Hewes and freshman Brandon Ornelas earned Second Team honors. Finally, SMCC head coach Todd Eastin received ACCAC Division II Coach of the Year honors.
 
Lorenz is now a two-time All-ACCAC Division II and All-Region I Division II First Team honoree after a stellar 2026 regular season. He has appeared in all 56 games this season and carries a .400 batting average, 16 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 58 RBIs, 56 runs, 86 hits, 26 walks, and 12 stolen bases into the postseason for the Cougars.
 
Lorenz finished the regular season leading all ACCAC players, regardless of Division, in hits, and ranked sixth in hits, second in RBIs, seventh in doubles, eighth in batting average, and tied for ninth in triples. In 40 conference games, Lorenz batted .402 with 45 runs, 66 hits, 14 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 43 RBIs, 21 walks, and seven stolen bases. He produced four games with a career-high four hits, and tied a career high with four RBIs against Glendale CC on Mar. 21.
 
 
Pierce Jr. is also now a two-time All ACCAC Division II and All-Region I Division II First Team honoree for the Cougars. In 53 regular-season games, the sophomore batted .357 with 62 runs, 71 hits, 10 doubles, 36 walks, 14 stolen bases, and a team-best eight triples and six home runs. He finished the regular season leading the conference in triples, and ranking third in runs, tied for second in hits, tied for fourth in RBIs, and sixth in walks.
 
In 40 ACCAC Division II games, Pierce Jr. batted .373 with 50 runs, 57 hits, eight doubles, seven triples, six home runs, 47 RBIs, 23 walks, and 11 stolen bases. He posted a season-high four hits with two runs and two RBIs at Chandler-Gilbert CC, and hit a pair of home runs and finished with six RBIs in a win at Scottsdale CC.

 
Rodriguez Jr. earned First Team All-Conference and All-Region honors after establishing himself as the Cougars' primary shortstop. In 47 regular-season games, Rodriguez Jr. batted .333 with 38 runs, 54 hits, six doubles, four home runs, 37 RBIs, 34 walks, and 16 stolen bases. He tied for seventh among all ACCAC players with his 36 walks, and tied for 15th in stolen bases during the regular season.
 
In 33 ACCAC Division II games, Rodriguez Jr. batted .370 with 33 runs, 44 hits, four doubles, four home runs, 32 RBIs, 27 walks, and 11 stolen bases. He recorded a season-high three hits on five occasions and scored a season-high three runs twice. He drove in a season-high four RBIs twice and had two steals in a game twice.
 
 
Meissner was the fourth field player from the Cougars to earn First Team All-ACCAC and All-Region I Division II honors. In 46 regular-season games, Meissner batted .358 with 33 runs, 54 hits, five doubles, one triple, three home runs, 47 RBIs, 15 walks, and eight stolen bases. He ended the regular season tied for 14th in RBIs.
 
In 35 ACCAC Division II games, Meissner batted .347 with 27 runs, 41 hits, four doubles, one triple, three home runs, 39 RBIs, 15 walks, and six stolen bases. He produced a season-high three hits in five different games and drove in a season-high three RBIs six times. He also scored a season-high four runs in a win at Chandler-Gilbert CC.  
 
 
Moraga was the lone Cougar pitcher to receive All-ACCAC and All-Region I honors, landing on the First Team after a strong debut campaign. He appeared in 16 regular-season games and made two starts for SMCC, finishing 5-3 with two saves, 39 strikeouts, a 1.24 WHIP, and a 4.07 ERA in 42 innings of work. Against ACCAC Division II opponents, Moraga appeared in 13 games in relief and went 5-2 with two saves, 31 strikeouts, a 1.16 WHIP, and a 3.31 ERA in 35.1 innings.
 
He recorded his first win of the season with four innings of two-hit relief work with two strikeouts against Pima CC on Mar. 7. He also picked up wins over Phoenix College, Glendale CC, Mesa CC, and a second over Pima CC. Moraga earned a save at GateWay CC on Feb. 20 with 1.2 innings of hitless relief with one K, and recorded his second save with four innings and three K's against Paradise Valley CC.
 
 
Alvarez received Second Team All-ACCAC and All-Region I Division II after serving as the Cougars' primary catcher in 2026. He appeared in 50 regular-season games and batted .301 with 49 runs, 49 hits, 12 doubles, 19 RBIs, 22 walks, and six stolen bases. In 38 league games, Alvarez batted .307 with 43 runs, 39 hits, 10 doubles, 16 RBIs, 22 walks, and six stolen bases.
 
Defensively, Alvarez caught 19 runners trying to steal a base this season, the fourth-most among all ACCAC catchers regardless of Division. He posted a season-high three hits twice, and drove in a season-high five RBIs in a win at Chandler-Gilbert CC on Feb. 28. He scored a season-high four runs twice.
 
 
Ornelas established himself at third base for the Cougars en route to Second Team All-ACCAC and All-Region I Division II honors. In 53 games, Ornelas batted .333 with 54 runs, 69 hits, 19 doubles, two home runs, 45 RBIs, 14 walks, and 24 stolen bases. Among all ACCAC players, he ended the regular season ranked second in doubles, ninth in runs, fifth in stolen bases, tied for fifth in hits, and 18th in RBIs.
 
In 38 conference games, Ornelas batted .325 with 40 runs, 51 hits, 10 doubles, two home runs, 37 RBIs, 22 walks, and 18 stolen bases. He posted a season-high four hits in a win at Phoenix College on Mar. 11, and drove in a season-high three RBIs on three occasions. Ornelas scored a season-high three runs in a win over Southern Nevada, and he had a season-high three stolen bases in a win over GateWay CC.
 
 
Hewes earned Second Team All-Conference and All-Region I honors after outstanding play in the outfield for the Cougars. In 41 regular-season games, Hewes batted .307 with 36 runs, 39 hits, nine doubles, five home runs, 33 RBIs, 26 walks, and six stolen bases. In 36 league games, Hewes batted .324 with 34 runs, 36 hits, seven doubles, five home runs, 30 RBIs, 25 walks, and six stolen bases.
 
He recorded a season-high three hits three times, and drove in a season-high four RBIs twice. He homered against Mesa CC twice, Chandler-Gilbert CC, Paradise Valley CC, and Scottsdale CC, and scored a season-high three runs twice.
 
 
Eastin is in his 23rd season as the baseball head coach and his 16th year as Athletic Director at SMCC. He also won the award in 2025.