Four Cougars receive Big 12 baseball honors

Four student-athletes on the BYU baseball team received postseason honors on Monday from the Big 12 Conference.

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IRVING, Texas — Four student-athletes on the BYU baseball team received postseason honors on Monday from the Big 12 Conference. Relief pitchers Stone Cushing and Mason Olson along with catcher Collin Reuter were named Big 12 Honorable Mention, while freshman Kuhio Aloy was named to the 10-member All-Freshman Team. 

Aloy finished the year ranked in the top three among freshman in the Big 12 in home runs (8) and runs batted in (39). He also tied for the overall conference lead in sacrifices flies with seven. The true freshman from Maui, Hawaii, led the Cougars in RBI and sac flies and was second in hits (53). He finished top five on the team in several other categories including runs scored (27), home runs (8), doubles (9) and total bases (88). Earlier in the season, Aloy was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on May 6.

Reuter was named to the WCC All-Freshman Team in 2022 after hitting .244 with six home runs and 24 RBI. He missed the 2023 season due to an injury but responded with a 2024 sophomore campaign that included finishing third in the Big 12 in runners caught stealing (12) and fifth in putouts in conference play (230). The sophomore from Olive Branch, Mississippi also tied Big 12 Player of the Year Max Belyeu of Texas for the league lead with three home runs in a single game.  

Reuter finished the season ranked in the top five on the BYU roster in RBI (37), home runs (10), hits (48), runs (29), on base percentage (.379), slugging percentage (.486), total bases (88) and walks (28). He is majoring in exercise and wellness.

In his first season at BYU after transferring from the College of Southern Idaho, Cushing led the Big 12 in saves (10) and games finished (25). The junior from Salem, Utah also tied for the league lead in appearances (29). On April 24, Cushing was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List and ended the season tied for ninth nationally as one of only 13 pitchers to record double-digit saves in NCAA Division I baseball. The pre-business major's 10 saves also tie him for second all-time at BYU in saves in a single-season. 

Olson, a senior from Spanish Fork, Utah, appeared in 17 games out of the bullpen and had one start for BYU prior to being injured against Oklahoma on April 18. At the time of his injury, Olson was top-4 in the Big 12 in several statistical categories including fewest earned runs (12), earned run average (3.03) and total appearances. As a junior in 2023, Olson was a WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll honoree and is finishing his degree in business. 

2024 Big 12 Awards
Player of the Year: Max Belyeu, Texas
Pitcher of the Year: Payton Tolle, TCU
Freshman of the Year: Dominic Voegele, Kansas
Newcomer of the Year: Payton Tolle, TCU
Coach of the Year: Skip Johnson, Oklahoma
 
All-Big 12 First Team
C: Jake English, Kansas
IF: Brady Day, Kansas State
IF: Michael Snyder, Oklahoma
IF: Jalin Flores, Texas
IF: Jared Thomas, Texas
IF: JJ Wetherholt, West Virginia
OF: Carson Benge, Oklahoma State
OF: Zach Ehrhard, Oklahoma State
OF: Max Belyeu, Texas
DH: Easton Carmichael, Oklahoma
UT: Josh Kross, Cincinnati
SP: Braden Davis, Oklahoma
SP: Brian Holiday, Oklahoma State
SP: Payton Tolle, TCU*
SP: Derek Clark, West Virginia
RP: Ben Abeldt, TCU
RP: Gage Boehm, Texas
*unanimous selection

All-Big 12 Second Team
C: Kevin Bazzell, Texas Tech
IF: Kodey Shojinaga, Kansas
IF: Kaelen Culpepper, Kansas State
IF: Colin Brueggemann, Oklahoma State
IF: Peyton Powell, Texas
IF: Reed Chumley, West Virginia
OF: Cary Arbolida, Houston
OF: Bryce Madron, Oklahoma
OF: Nolan Schubart, Oklahoma State
DH: Wesley Jordan, Baylor
UT: Christian Mitchelle, Cincinnati
UT: Justin Murray, Houston
SP: Dom Stagliano, UCF
SP: Reese Dutton, Kansas
SP: Dominic Voegele, Kansas
SP: Kyson Witherspoon, Oklahoma
SP: Sam Garcia, Oklahoma State
RP: Tyson Neighbors, Kansas State
RP: Robert Cranz, Oklahoma State

Big 12 Honorable Mention
Baylor: Ethan Calder, Cole Posey
BYU: Stone Cushing, Mason Olson, Collin Reuter
UCF: Dominic Castellano, Chase Centala, Kyle Kramer, Danny Neri, Matt Prevesk
Cincinnati: Lauden Brooks, Kerrington Cross, Josh Hegemann, Chirstian Mitchelle, Tommy O’Connor, Nathan Taylor
Houston: Cade Citelli, Harold Coll, Justin Murray
Kansas: Michael Brooks, Hunter Cranton, Ben Hartl, John Nett
Kansas State: Owen Boerema, Nick English, Brendan Jones, Raphael Pelletier, Jackson Wentworth
Oklahoma: Cater Campbell, Anthony Mackenzie, Scott Mulder, Jackson Nicklaus, John Spikerman, Jaxon Willits
Oklahoma State: Aidan Meola, Tommy Molsky
TCU: Kurtis Byrne, Zachary Cawyer, Logan Maxwell, Sam Myers
Texas: Rylan Galvan, Will Gasparino, Max Grubbs, Peyton Powell, Jared Thomas (UT), Ace Whitehead
Texas Tech: Kevin Bazzell, Damian Bravo, Gavin Kash, Cade McGee, TJ Pompey, Kyle Robinson, Drew Woodcox
West Virginia: Aidan Major, Sam White (OF/UT), Kyle West
 
Big 12 All-Freshman Team
Kuhio Aloy, BYU
Nathan Taylor, Cincinnati
Ace Reese, Houston
Dominic Voegele, Kansas
Blake Dean, Kansas State
Jaxon Willits, Oklahoma
Chase Brunson, TCU
Sam Myers, TCU
Will Gasparino, Texas
Mac Heuer, Texas Tech
Parker Hutyra, Texas Tech
TJ Pompey, Texas Tech