SMCC Baseball Collects Multiple All-ACCAC and All-Region I Honors
PHOENIX ---
Freshmen Sam Christiansen and Dominic Chacon of the South Mountain Community College baseball earned First Team All-ACCAC and First Team All-Region I Division I honors for their play during the 2023 regular season. In addition to Chacon and Christiansen, sophomores Core Jackson, Jacob Beltran and Matthew Martinez earned Second Team All-ACCAC honors.
The Cougars' primary first baseman, Christiansen, batted .308 in 55 games with 47 runs and 61 hits. He totaled 12 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 34 RBIs and a team-high 32 stolen bases. He set a school record with six stolen bases in a home win over Paradise Valley CC on Mar. 11 and had seven games with multiple stolen bases. Defensively, Christiansen excelled at first base, posted a .987 fielding percentage in 389 chances, and helped turn 22 double plays.
Originally from Mesa, Ariz., Christiansen had a season-high three hits on five occasions, and he scored a season-high four runs in a win over Mesa CC on Mar. 23. He homered against Eastern Arizona, Phoenix College, Scottsdale CC and in the season-finale victory at Cochise College, and had a season-high three RBIs twice, both against Phoenix College. In 38 ACCAC games, Christiansen batted .324 with 32 runs, 47 hits, 10 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 26 RBIs and 21 stolen bases.
A corner outfielder, Chacon batted .317 with 53 hits and 43 runs in 50 games. He produced 11 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 35 RBIs and six stolen bases. Chacon had two games with a season-high three hits and totaled 15 multi-hit games. He smashed home runs against Central Arizona, Yavapai College, Scottsdale CC, and Gateway CC (a grand slam) and recorded a season-high four RBIs twice.
Originally from Scottsdale, Chacon posted hitting streaks of eight and nine games during the season. In 38 ACCAC games, Chacon batted .333 with 39 runs, 45 hits, seven doubles, three triples, five home runs, 28 RBIs and six stolen bases. Defensively, Chacon had a .960 fielding percentage and four assists in 75 chances from the outfield.
Jackson, an infielder from Wyoming, Ont., batted .323 with 62 hits and 45 runs in 51 games. He tied for the team lead with 16 doubles and added three triples, four home runs, 32 RBIs and nine stolen bases. In 37 ACCAC games, Jackson batted .333 with 47 hits, 30 runs, 12 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 25 RBIs and seven stolen bases. He had a season-high four hits twice, scored a season-high three runs twice, and homered against Phoenix College, Mesa CC, Western Nebraska CC, and Paradise Valley CC.
One of two SMCC pitchers to earn Second Team All-ACCAC honors, Beltran is a right-handed hurler from Phoenix who went 7-2 with a 1.77 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 71.1 innings of work. He made 14 appearances and started 13 games for SMCC, allowing just 13 earned runs in those 71+ frames. Beltran posted victories over Salt Lake CC, Pima CC, Southern Nevada, Eastern Arizona, Phoenix College, Glendale CC and Arizona Western. He fanned a season-high 10 batters over six innings of scoreless baseball in a home win over Eastern Arizona on Sophomore Day.
Martinez finished the year with 6-3 with a team-high four saves in 20 relief appearances. A right-handed pitcher from Phoenix, Martinez posted a 2.34 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 42.1 innings. He allowed 31 hits and 11 earned runs on the mound and walked just 14 batters. He recorded saves over Salt Lake CC, El Paso CC, Mesa CC, and Eastern Arizona and picked up victories over Eastern Arizona, Cochise College, Chandler-Gilbert CC, Phoenix College, Yavapai College, and Pima CC.