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Five Utes Tabbed CSC Academic All-District
6/4/2024 11:26 AM | Baseball
Antillon, Clarkson and Hostert named Academic All-America finalists
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Baseball team had five members of the program named to the CSC Academic All-District Team on Tuesday, as catcher Hunter Antillon, left fielder Karson Bodily, right fielder TJ Clarkson, right-handed pitcher Randon Hostert and fellow righty Merit Jones took home the accolades.
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In addition, Antillon, Clarkson and Hostert were named Academic All-America finalists; the trio will now be placed on the ballot for that national award. Those honorees are expected to be announced later in June.
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Antillon joined the Utes for his graduate season after finishing his undergraduate time at New Mexico State, where he was part of the 2022 WAC championship team that reached the NCAA Corvallis Regional. While studying applied positive psychology at the U, he made 41 starts at catcher and hit .321—ranking among the team's leaders in batting average (third), OBP (second, .438) and slugging (fifth, .453). Among his battery mates throughout the year were Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year Bryson Van Sickle and Hostert, the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
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An economics major, Bodily spent the last two seasons with Utah just a short drive from his hometown of Woods Cross. He played in 51 games this past season with 41 starts, primarily in left field where he had two outfield assists. Bodily contributed 15 extra-base hits, including three triples which were tied for the team lead. He also stole 12 bases, third-most on the club and tying Bodily for seventh in the Pac-12 during the regular season.
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A Pac-12 Honorable Mention pick, Clarkson was one of two Utes to start all 55 games. The Utes' right fielder and finance major heated up down the stretch of the season, hitting .282 in conference play and becoming the first player in the program's Power Conference era to hit double-digit home runs in three straight seasons. Ultimately, he graduated with the most career home runs (38) by a Ute in that timeframe, which were the most since C.J. Cron clubbed 46 from 2009-11.
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Hostert made 25 appearances, all out of the bullpen, in a long relief and setup role. He tossed 50.1 innings with 48 strikeouts against just nine walks, finishing with a 5-3 record. In one of the more memorable long relief appearances in recent program history, Hostert pitched the final 4.2 innings of the series opener vs. UCLA on April 26, 2024. Light rain persisted for much of that night inside Smith's Ballpark, but it didn't faze Hostert as he struck out six, walked nobody and allowed only two hits in an eventual extra-innings victory. In addition to being named Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the health and kinesiology major was a CSC Academic All-District pick in 2023 as well as a co-recipient of the Dr. Burtis Evans Scholar-Athlete Award at Utah Athletics' 2024 Crimson Carpet Awards.
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While studying health and kinesiology, Jones made 14 appearances with 13 weekend starts, finishing 3-5 on the season in 68.1 innings pitched. The right-hander also earned his first career save during the 2024 Pac-12 Tournament, going six up, six down vs. Oregon on May 22. He delivered a career-high nine strikeouts in the series opener vs. then-No. 3 ranked Oregon State and left in line for the win, but ultimately received a no-decision. Jones then went on to help the Utes pick up series-opening wins over both California and Stanford with back-to-back seven-inning starts.
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All told, it was a year of monumental strides for Utah Baseball with the team recording 33 wins—tied for the second-most in program history. The team had four Pac-12 All-Conference First Team selections, tying the most by the program in the Pac-12 era and headlined by Bryson Van Sickle, the team's first conference Pitcher of the Year.
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Late in April, the Utes entered the national rankings with the No. 25 spot in the D1Baseball.com poll. It was the first time that Utah has been ranked in any of the five current major polls.
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Follow Utah Baseball
Follow the Utes on social media @utahbaseball.
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In addition, Antillon, Clarkson and Hostert were named Academic All-America finalists; the trio will now be placed on the ballot for that national award. Those honorees are expected to be announced later in June.
Â
Antillon joined the Utes for his graduate season after finishing his undergraduate time at New Mexico State, where he was part of the 2022 WAC championship team that reached the NCAA Corvallis Regional. While studying applied positive psychology at the U, he made 41 starts at catcher and hit .321—ranking among the team's leaders in batting average (third), OBP (second, .438) and slugging (fifth, .453). Among his battery mates throughout the year were Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year Bryson Van Sickle and Hostert, the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
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An economics major, Bodily spent the last two seasons with Utah just a short drive from his hometown of Woods Cross. He played in 51 games this past season with 41 starts, primarily in left field where he had two outfield assists. Bodily contributed 15 extra-base hits, including three triples which were tied for the team lead. He also stole 12 bases, third-most on the club and tying Bodily for seventh in the Pac-12 during the regular season.
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A Pac-12 Honorable Mention pick, Clarkson was one of two Utes to start all 55 games. The Utes' right fielder and finance major heated up down the stretch of the season, hitting .282 in conference play and becoming the first player in the program's Power Conference era to hit double-digit home runs in three straight seasons. Ultimately, he graduated with the most career home runs (38) by a Ute in that timeframe, which were the most since C.J. Cron clubbed 46 from 2009-11.
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Hostert made 25 appearances, all out of the bullpen, in a long relief and setup role. He tossed 50.1 innings with 48 strikeouts against just nine walks, finishing with a 5-3 record. In one of the more memorable long relief appearances in recent program history, Hostert pitched the final 4.2 innings of the series opener vs. UCLA on April 26, 2024. Light rain persisted for much of that night inside Smith's Ballpark, but it didn't faze Hostert as he struck out six, walked nobody and allowed only two hits in an eventual extra-innings victory. In addition to being named Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the health and kinesiology major was a CSC Academic All-District pick in 2023 as well as a co-recipient of the Dr. Burtis Evans Scholar-Athlete Award at Utah Athletics' 2024 Crimson Carpet Awards.
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While studying health and kinesiology, Jones made 14 appearances with 13 weekend starts, finishing 3-5 on the season in 68.1 innings pitched. The right-hander also earned his first career save during the 2024 Pac-12 Tournament, going six up, six down vs. Oregon on May 22. He delivered a career-high nine strikeouts in the series opener vs. then-No. 3 ranked Oregon State and left in line for the win, but ultimately received a no-decision. Jones then went on to help the Utes pick up series-opening wins over both California and Stanford with back-to-back seven-inning starts.
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All told, it was a year of monumental strides for Utah Baseball with the team recording 33 wins—tied for the second-most in program history. The team had four Pac-12 All-Conference First Team selections, tying the most by the program in the Pac-12 era and headlined by Bryson Van Sickle, the team's first conference Pitcher of the Year.
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Late in April, the Utes entered the national rankings with the No. 25 spot in the D1Baseball.com poll. It was the first time that Utah has been ranked in any of the five current major polls.
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Follow Utah Baseball
Follow the Utes on social media @utahbaseball.
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