AZUSA, Calif. – A trip to the NCAA Division II College World Series is providing all the motivation the Chico State baseball team needs. Some of the Wildcats may have a little bit more with the release of the Conference Commissioner's Association (CCA) All-West Region Team Thursday–the first day of the NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional.
 
National wins leader Casey Costello is the CCA's West Region Pitcher of the Year and a First Team All-Region selection, but despite the West No. 1 Wildcats' region-best record and California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular-season and tournament titles, Costello is the Wildcats' lone First Team selection.
 
Five Wildcats were voted Second-Team All-West by the region's sports information directors: starting pitcher Hunter Haworth, relief pitcher Jae Wagner, third baseman Cameron Santos, outfielder Josh Falco, and designated hitter Dillon Kelley.
 
Costello is tied for the national lead with 12 wins heading into his start Thursday, and one of two with a record of 12-0. He has a 2.38 ERA in 83.1 innings of work. The junior is the third West Region Pitcher of the Year, joining John-Eric Hernandez (2000) and Nick Baker (2014), and the first underclassmen.
 
Santos, the CCAA's Player of the year, leads the Wildcats with a .372 batting average, 46 RBI, and 24 stolen bases. Haworth is 7-1 with a 2.54 ERA and a team-high 73 strikeouts in 12 starts. Wagner is 2-1 with five saves and a 0.44 ERA in 19 appearances spanning 20.1 innings of work. Falco, a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection, is hitting .356. Kelley, recently named the MVP of the CCAA Tournament for the second straight season, leads Chico State with seven home runs and a .552 slugging percentage. He's driven in 45 while batting .343.
 
The Wildcats open NCAA Tournament play today (Thursday) at 3 p.m. against Cal Poly Pomona. The game will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY. Links to audio, video, and live stats.