Baker, a 6-foot-4 guard, scored over 1,000 points during his three-year career at UC Irvine. He appeared in 79 games including 71 starts, averaging 12.9 points per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the floor, 36.8 from 3-point range and 79.1 percent from the free throw line.

In 2022-23, he earned All-Big West Second Team accolades after averaging 15.3 points and 3.2 assists per game for an Anteaters team that went 23-12, winning the Big West Regular Season title and earned a postseason berth in the NIT. He scored in double figures in 32 of 35 starts including a career-high 33-point performance at UC San Diego. He also recorded his first and only collegiate double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) in win over Hawaii on January 19, 2023.

The native of Coto De Caza, California earned All-Big West Honorable Mention accolades as a sophomore in 2021-22 after playing and starting in 19 games. He finished second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.2 points per game, while leading the team in 3-point field goal percentage, 39.6 percent.

He was named the Big West Freshman of the Year in 2020-21 after returning home from his two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Micronesia, Guam. In 25 games, he averaged 10.7 points per game while shooting 49.0 percent from the floor, 39.6 percent from three and 78.6 percent from the charity stripe. He dished out a career-high six assists in his collegiate debut against Pepperdine.

He finished his high school career as the all-time leader in points and steals at Capistrano Valley High School. He was a two-time all-state selection and was named the CIF 2AA Player of the Year as a senior.

No. 2 UCLA defeats Cougar softball

Despite two solo home runs, BYU fell to No. 2 UCLA, 7-2 at Gail Miller Field on Monday afternoon.

The Cougars (28-14, 7-2 WCC) saw their six-game winning streak come to an end as UCLA extended its own to 21. BYU recorded six hits and two home runs, with one from senior Huntyr Ava and another from junior Violet Zavodnik.

UCLA got on the board early after a sacrifice fly gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead. The Cougars held UCLA scoreless through the next two innings while giving up only one hit as Kaysen Korth pitched a near-perfect third inning, striking out batters one and two before the third grounded out.

Tristen Turlington recorded BYU’s first hit of the day with a double to left center. Ailana Agbayani then notched a single on a beautifully placed hit down the left field line before the third inning ended with Agbayani still on base.

In the top of the fourth inning, the Bruins picked up two runs after an error to extend its lead to 3-0. After stealing a base, a single up the middle led to another score. Chloe Temples came on in relief before UCLA scored on a passed ball to make it 5-0.

Ava began the bottom of the fourth inning with a bang, blasting a home run to center field to cut the deficit to 5-1. The hit was Ava’s 12th homer of the season, a team high.

Neither team would score again until the final inning when UCLA recorded two hits and two runs. With the score at 7-1 and two outs for the Cougars, Zavodnik connected on a home run to right field for her eighth homer of the season to make it 7-2.

BYU will now prepare for its three-game set against WCC foe Pacific. The Cougars and Tigers will begin their series with a doubleheader on Friday, May 5. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. MDT, and both games will be streamed on the BYUtv app.

Ramanis earns All-American citation

Sophomore outside hitter Miks Ramanis was given an honorable mention by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as part of its 2023 All-American awards, announced Monday morning.

Ramanis led the team in points (362.0), kills (313), total attempts (681) and hitting percentage (.308) this season, taking the Cougars to an undefeated 14-0 home season. He averaged 3.26 kills per set and 1.31 digs per set. The sophomore started in 24 out of 26 matches for BYU, and finished with 313 kills on a .308 clip, with 22 aces 135 digs and 51 blocks.

Ramanis also was named to the 2023 All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation First Team and was the only player to win an MPSF Offensive Player of the Week honor from BYU this season.

This is Ramanis’ first honor from the AVCA. To see the full list of this year’s All-Americans, go to avca.org.

Golfers grab All-WCC awards

SAN MATEO, Calif. — BYU men’s golfers Zac Jones, Carson Lundell and Max Brenchley as well as head coach Bruce Brockbank each received All-Conference honors, the West Coast Conference announced Monday.

“I’m super proud of Zac, Carson and Max,” said BYU director of golf Todd Miller. “They have worked so hard this season to unlock the potential Bruce and I knew they had. It’s nice to see their hard work and their strong play recognized by the conference.”

Jones was named to the All-WCC First Team after taking home the West Coast Conference individual championship last week. The sophomore fired rounds of 69-66-72–207 to finish at 9-under par, before making a birdie on the first hole of the sudden-death playoff to capture his second individual title of the season.

Lundell earned his third-straight All-WCC First Team selection after finishing eighth at the WCC Championship last week. The fifth-year senior concluded his 2022-23 regular season with nine top-25 finishes, seven top 15s, five top 10s and three third-place finishes. The two-time All-American held a scoring average of 70.5 and led the Cougars to three team championships this season.

Brenchley was named an All-WCC honorable mention after his 8-under performance at the conference tournament earned him a share of third place. The junior has competed in eight events for the Cougars this season while recording four top-25 finishes and two top-10s. The Lone Peak High School product was a consistent performer for BYU this year as he recorded a scoring average of 71.7.

The head man for the Cougars, Bruce Brockbank, was named the 2023 West Coast Conference Coach of the Year for the second time since entering the league. This is Brockbank’s seventh coach of the year honor having previously earned the award in 1994, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007 and 2014. Brockbank led BYU to three team wins during the 2022-23 campaign at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate, the 58th PING Cougar Classic and the WCC Championship last week.

The Cougars now await their regional selection with the NCAA Selection Show being broadcast on the Golf Channel on May 3 at 11 a.m. MDT.