SEASIDE, Calif. – The Cal State Monterey Bay baseball team was well-represented as the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) announced its all-conference winners for the 2026 season.
 
Senior Andrew Kotin makes history by being the first Otter to be named CCAA Pitcher of the Year. Kotin registered a 3.04 earned run average, going 9-2 over 56.1 innings pitched. The right-hander had a 1.28 WHIP, and opponents hit just .269 off him. The senior went 5-0 in conference play, while CSUMB was 9-0 in games that he started.
 
Walt White etched his name in the CCAA record books by guiding Cal State Monterey Bay to its fifth consecutive CCAA regular-season title in 2026. He was named the CCAA Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career, and third in the past five seasons. The five Coach of the Year selections tie former UC Riverside skipper Jack Smitheran for the most all-time in CCAA baseball history.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay spent many weeks in the top 10 of the national rankings and finished the regular season at 36-14 (21-11 CCAA). The Otters led the NCAA in fielding percentage (.979). They were also top three in batting average (.317), doubles (105), home runs (56), on-base percentage (.415), and earned run average (4.76).

In his lone season with the Otters, senior outfielder Bobby Benavidez was named to the first team. The La Sierra University transfer played in all 45 games, making 37 starts. Benavidez is batting .324 with six home runs, 12 doubles and 37 RBI.
 
The senior is second on the team with 47 runs scored and has recorded 10 multi-hit games. Benavidez
has tallied three or more hits on four occasions.
 
Jason Del Villar, Andrew Lehmann, James Starkus and Daniel Flores were named to the second team, while Noah Zertuche, Xander Sielken, Hayden Hall and Drew Aguiar garnered honorable mention accolades.
 
The 2026 CCAA Baseball Tournament presented by FloCollege will begin for the Otters on Thursday, May 7. All games will be available on FloCollege at GoCCAA.org/FloCollege. For more information about the tournament, visit GoCCAA.org/Baseball.