The Irvine Valley baseball team celebrated its special 2015 season with an end of the year banquet last week.
Several players were honored with awards.
Irvine Valley sophomore right-handed pitcher Justin Zielinski was given the prestigious "Iron I" Award.
The honor has been only handed out once before that came in 2008 to current IVC assistant coach Alex Agortsas.
There are nine I's that the award stands for. They are intelligent, intent, investment, identity, intensity, inspiring, intuitive, influence and intangibles.
Zielinski, who was named first team all-Orange Empire Conference, finished with a record of 9-3 overall. He pitched 118.1 innings and threw a school-record eight complete games.
His had three shutouts and his ERA finished up at 1.52. Opponents hit just .240 against him.
Zielinski was also named co-pitcher of the year with freshman lefty Ryan Abady.
Abady went 8-4 with a 2.02 ERA in 102.2 innings. He had five complete games and two shutouts. Opponents hit just .235 against Abady.
He was also named second team all-conference.
Irvine Valley's offensive player of the year award went to freshman first baseman Lucas Tancas.
Tancas paced Irvine Valley in batting average at .340, in hits with 53 and runs with 24.
He was third on the team in RBI with 16 and also tied a team-high in stolen bases with seven. Tancas had 15 multi-hit games this year.
Freshman catcher Branden Williams was given the defensive player of the year award.
He caught two of the top pitchers in the state in Zielinski and Abady and threw out 16 runners stealing this past season. He had a .980 fielding percentage.
Williams also hit a home run and drove in 13 runners on offense.
The teammate of the year award went to freshman catcher Adan Navarrete. IVC coach Kent Madole said there was no better ally and hard worker for the Lasers this year.
Irvine Valley finished with a record of 23-18 overall, won three playoff games and made a California Community College Athletic Association Super Regional appearance this season.
