Chico State baseball pitcher Manny Lopez added another postseason accolade to his standout 2026 campaign Wednesday after being selected to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II All-America third team.
The junior reliever becomes one of the few Wildcats in recent program history to earn NCBWA All-America recognition and caps off a postseason awards run that also included first-team All-CCAA, first-team NCBWA All-West Region, and first-team D2CCA All-West Region honors.
Lopez becomes the first Wildcat to earn NCBWA All-America honors since Willie Lajoie received honorable mention recognition in 2022. He is the program's first third-team or higher selection since Casey Costello earned second-team honors in 2017. Prior to Costello, Luke Barker was named a first-team All-American in 2014 and Michael Gleason earned third-team recognition in 2010.
Lopez established himself as one of the top relief pitchers in NCAA Division II's West Region throughout the season. The Brea native finished with a 5-1 record, a 1.27 ERA, and a 0.74 WHIP across 28.1 innings while holding opponents to a .146 batting average. He also struck out 19 batters and allowed just seven walks all year.
His consistency out of the bullpen played a major role in Chico State's success in close games throughout the spring. The Wildcats went 9-3 in one-run contests and 5-2 in extra-inning games during the season.
Lopez delivered several key performances during the year, including earning the win in Chico State's 10-inning victory over Jessup on Jan. 31 after throwing a scoreless inning with a strikeout. He later helped secure an 11-0 shutout victory against nationally-ranked Point Loma on Feb. 7, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings while allowing no hits.
During conference play, Lopez emerged as one of the CCAA's most effective relievers and was instrumental in multiple series wins for the Wildcats. He earned victories against UC Colorado Springs, Stanislaus State, and Cal State East Bay while also recording a save in the regular season finale.
Lopez helped anchor a Chico State pitching staff that finished with the best ERA in the CCAA at 4.43, ranking 16th nationally in NCAA Division II.
