Baseball 5/6/2025 1:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

Caden Robertson Named MIAA Co-Player of the Year

Bronchos Have Nine Players Honored With All-MIAA Honors

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Central Oklahoma senior outfielder Caden Robertson was named MIAA co-Player of the Year Tuesday as the association announced its postseason honors.

Robertson was named First Team All-MIAA, leading a group of nine Bronchos honored by the league Tuesday. Dax Sharp and Orlando Gonzalez were named Second Team All-MIAA, Brett Pense, Valek Cisneros, and Ty Chapman were each named Third Team All-MIAA, and Grant Randall, Ty Hammack, and Joe Ricchio were all named Honorable Mention All-MIAA. Hammack was also UCO's lone representative on the MIAA Gold Glove Team.

Central Oklahoma went 33-15 this season with a 23-13 record in the MIAA. The Bronchos are the No. 4 seed in this week's MIAA Baseball Championship in Joplin, Missouri. The 10-team, single elimination postseason tournament begins Wednesday. UCO will play No. 5 seed Rogers State Thursday morning in the quarterfinals. The winner of the tournament receives an automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship in the Central Regional.

Five of UCO's selections, Robertson, Sharp, Gonzalez, Pense, and Cisneros, are now all two-time All-MIAA selections after receiving the honor last season.

Robertson had a sensational season in his second year in the program. The senior from Magnolia, Texas played in 47 of 48 games this year and hit .376 in 189 at bats. Robertson led UCO with 71 hits, including 22 home runs, 19 doubles, and three triples. He also has 73 RBIs and has scored 61 runs. Robertson's slugged .857 this season with a 1.304 OPS.

Robertson's 22 home runs lead UCO and the MIAA, and rank fourth nationally among all Division II players. The mark is also tied for second most in school history. Robertson is one home run shy of tying Ray Danzy's single season record of 23 home runs set in 2001. Robertson is also tied for fourth in UCO history with 73 RBIs this season, which leads the MIAA this season.

Robertson is UCO's first MIAA Player of the Year recipient since Phillip Wilson in 2014.

Sharp, a senior from Pryor, Oklahoma, went 5-1 this season with a 1.09 ERA, the top mark in the MIAA. The lefty started six games and made three early season relief appearances. He threw two complete games this season and struck out 31 batters in 49 2/3 innings of work. Sharp is contending for UCO's single season ERA record of 1.22 set by former MIAA Pitcher of the Year Kyler Patterson (2022).

Gonzalez played and started in 47 of 48 games this season, hitting a career-best .365. The senior shortstop from Panama has played in 150 games for the Bronchos over three seasons. This year, Gonzalez had 65 hits, including 11 home runs, nine doubles, and three triples. He added 53 runs scored and 40 runs batted in. Gonzalez also led UCO with 18 stolen bases this season.

Pense went 4-2 this season in 13 starts on the mound. The sophomore right-handed pitcher from Edmond has a 3.94 ERA with a team-high 63 strikeouts in 64 innings of work. Opponents hit just .260 off Pense and only managed 28 earned runs against him all season.

Cisneros, a senior from Clinton, Oklahoma, led UCO with 10 saves this season. In 19 relief appearances, the closer had a 3.32 ERA in 21.2 innings of work. He struck out 33 batters and opponents his .139 off him. Cisneros broke both the UCO and MIAA career records for saves. He has 29 heading into his final postseason.

Chapman, a senior from Parker, Colorado, is UCO's third-leading hitter with a .322 average this season. The first baseman scattered 56 hits, including 11 doubles, three home runs, and two triples. Playing and starting in all 48 games, Chapman scored 40 runs for the Bronchos and had 28 RBIs. His 35 walks this season lead the Bronchos.

Randall spent one season with UCO and the senior third baseman from Norman, Oklahoma hit .286, with 59 hits this season. He also played and started all 48 games this season and tied with Gonzalez for the team high with 18 stolen bases. Randall hit nine doubles, five home runs, and three triples this season. He scored 57 runs and had 30 RBIs.

Hammack played in all 48 games this season and made 47 starts in the outfield. He hit .279 with 53 total base hits this year. From Edmond, Hammack had 14 doubles, seven home runs, and four triples. He had 50 RBIs and scored 39 runs. Defensively, Hammack was honored on the Gold Glove Team. The center fielder had 109 putouts and three assists with a .982 fielding percentage this season.

Ricchio spent one season at UCO and the Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin native appeared in 28 games, making 25 starts. He was chosen as Honorable Mention as a designated hitter. Ricchio hit .270 this season with 20 hits, including five doubles and three home runs. He led UCO with 16 hit-by-pitches this season.

Central Oklahoma meets Rogers State in the MIAA Baseball Championship quarterfinals Thursday at 10 a.m. in Joplin, Missouri. Two semifinals are scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m. & 4 p.m. with the league championship set for Saturday at 1 p.m.

The NCAA Division II Baseball Championship, a 56-team field of eight different regions, begins May 15-17 with 16 sub-regional tournaments. UCO is ranked fourth in the NCAA's Central Region rankings. Three automatic bids go to conference champions and five more at-large bids are awarded to make up the eight-team Central Regional, where the top two teams will host four-team double-elimination tournaments next week.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Ty Chapman: IF; 6' 3"; Senior; R/R

#39 Valek Cisneros: P; 6' 5"; Senior; */R

#27 Orlando Gonzalez: IF; 6' 0"; Senior; R/R

#10 Ty Hammack: OF; 5' 11"; Senior; R/R

#12 Brett Pense: P; 6' 4"; Sophomore; */R

#47 Caden Robertson: OF; 6' 4"; Senior; R/L

#7 Dax Sharp: P; 6' 2"; Senior; */L

#1 Grant Randall: UT; 5' 10"; Senior; R/R

#3 Joe Ricchio: C; 5' 10"; Senior; R/R

Players Mentioned

#13 Ty Chapman
: 6' 3"; Senior; R/R
: IF

#39 Valek Cisneros
: 6' 5"; Senior; */R
: P

#27 Orlando Gonzalez
: 6' 0"; Senior; R/R
: IF

#10 Ty Hammack
: 5' 11"; Senior; R/R
: OF

#12 Brett Pense
: 6' 4"; Sophomore; */R
: P

#47 Caden Robertson
: 6' 4"; Senior; R/L
: OF

#7 Dax Sharp
: 6' 2"; Senior; */L
: P

#1 Grant Randall
: 5' 10"; Senior; R/R
: UT

#3 Joe Ricchio
: 5' 10"; Senior; R/R
: C