Jayden Lobliner was named the 2026 West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year by the West Coast Conference on May 19, highlighting a day in which seven San Diego Toreros baseball players received All-Conference honors.
Lobliner, a senior catcher from St. Charles, Illinois, is the first player in program history to win the defensive award in back-to-back seasons. This marks three consecutive years that a Torero has won the honor, following Ariel Armas’s recognition in 2024.
The announcement also included Andrew Gauna and CJ Moran earning First Team All-WCC selections. Lobliner was additionally named to the Second Team, while Diego Gonzalez and Diego Gutierrez received Honorable Mention recognition. Three Toreros—Phoenix Brant, Diego Gonzalez, and Jayton Greer—were selected for the All-Freshman Team.
Other major conference awards went to Gonzaga representatives: Mark Machtolf was named Coach of the Year; Mikey Bell took Player of the Year; Karsten Sweum earned Pitcher of the Year; and Landon Hood was chosen as Freshman of the Year. The full list of honorees spans several teams across multiple categories for both position players and pitchers.
The continued presence of San Diego athletes among top conference awards highlights consistent performance within their baseball program. The recognition for freshmen also points toward potential future contributions to team success.
