LA MIRADA --- With the postseason well underway, the yearly awards are continuing to flow in for Biola baseball. On Wednesday, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association announced its west region awards for the 2023 season. AJ Ortiz and Oscar Serratos Jr. pulled in regional distinctions, following stellar performances on the diamond.

The NCBWA awarded first team, second team, and honorable mention west region honors on Wednesday, recognizing the achievements of 48 players. 

Ortiz came through with a Second Team All-West Region award, following an astounding first season in the lineup. The redshirt sophomore saw action as a pitcher in 2021 but grabbed the bat for the first time in 2023 and immediately found success.

The BU lineup was littered with power, as the team ranked 28th in the nation with 69 homers. Ortiz did his part with 13 home runs of his own throughout the campaign. The righty posted the third most long balls in the PacWest, while ranking 58th in the country.

He defended the hot corner for every game of the season, drawing all 46 starts in 2023. Consistency was also the name of the game, as he led the team with 18 efforts with multiple hits and nine games with multiple runs batted in. On the season, Ortiz logged a .299 batting average with 11 doubles and 39 RBI.

Ortiz put together his best stretch in a four-game series against Azusa Pacific. In the series, he notched five home runs, including one in each of the four games.

From the outfield, Serratos found a spot on the honorable mention list of the NCBWA All-West Region Teams. The graduate was on over half of the ballots and was named honorable mention for the second-straight year.

Serratos made a huge impact for the Eagles on the field despite playing just 25 games in 2023. He brought a well-rounded attack to the offense batting .395 and slugging .872, while nabbing 13 bases. 

He added to the power of BU with 11 home runs to rank fourth in the PacWest and 101st in the nation. On the year, he tallied 18 extra-base hits and walked 20 times, which nearly doubled his total from 2022. Serratos came within one single of the cycle on March 25, going for a double, triple and two home runs, nearly hitting for the cycle for the second time at Biola.

The Biola Boys finished 2023 with a 19-27 overall record and placed six student-athletes on the All-PacWest Teams and a pair on the NBWCA All-West Region list.