SAN FRANCISCO – The upward trajectory continues. For the third-straight season, Academy of Art baseball broke the single-season wins record. The wins were accompanied by a collection of record-breaking moments throughout the season, including handing Dixie State their first ever sweep in PacWest Conference play as well as the program's first ever no-hitter.
 
The Urban Knights opened their 2018 season at College of Alameda, squaring off against Central Washington University. In the third game of the series, ART U exploded, putting up nine runs while a stellar first outing from senior left-hander Alex Fernandez limited CWU to a pair of runs. The Urban Knights' first win of the year was also highlighted by an opposite field home run by senior outfielder Evan Ray who continued to hit for power throughout the season, finishing with a team-leading, five homers.
 
Academy of Art took on an unfamiliar opponent in the next series, facing off against Simpson University for the first time in school history. Junior right-hander Ben Kaser made sure that this was not the only program-first, as he was nearly perfect in game two, producing the first no-hitter in ART U baseball history. Kaser made the historic feat look easy, not allowing a base runner until the seventh inning and using only 57 pitches for the entirety of the 7-inning game. The performance also awarded Kaser his first of two PacWest Pitcher of the Week accolades. His masterful pitching propelled ART U to their first series win of the season, taking three out of four from Simpson.
 
PacWest play followed, and the Urban Knights headed down to Irvine to take on Concordia in their first road trip. ART U split the series by sweeping the last day of play (a doubleheader) with authority, outscoring the Eagles 10-1 on the day including a complete game, two-hit shutout by junior righty Angel Mora. ART U also added an offensive flurry of 13 hits in the first game of the twin bill. These two wins served as the spark to set the Urban Knights off on an impressive win streak that followed.
 
In a season characterized by record-breaking moments, the next series may have been the most historic. Hoping to earn their second win streak of the season, Academy of Art returned to the bay for a four-game series with Dixie State. Despite a late run by the Trailblazers, the Urban Knights hung on to win the first game of the series 4-3 and achieved their second win streak on the year. The streak continued through the series as ART U did not surrender a single game to DSU, ultimately sweeping the Trailblazers.This was the first time that Dixie State had ever been swept in conference play since joining the PacWest in 2007. The four wins also lengthened Academy of Art's wins streak to six games, the longest in program history.
 
Continuing the streak proved difficult however, as the Urban Knights headed down to Southern California to face the No. 1 team in the country (Azusa Pacific), and conference newcomer: Biola. After splitting the series with BU, ART U looked rebuild their momentum as they headed into a four-game set against Bay Area rival, Holy Names.
 
The bats took over the series, as ART U accumulated 30 runs in four games to sweep the Hawks. The offensive-effort was highlighted by performances such as: senior outfielder Izac Bauer's 3-for-5 game with four runs batted in (game four), and Evan Ray gathering six hits and five runs batted in across the series. The juniors' bats refused to be upstaged however: as first baseman Josh Carlin boasted a 2-for-4 game one with two RBI, three runs, and a home run while Mora contributed with a 3-for-4, two RBI performance in game two. With the sweep of the HNU, Academy of Art improved to an impressive, 18-15 overall record.
 
The final third of the season proved to be a microcosm of the year as a whole: the Urban Knights were extremely successful at home. In fact, the next two series, Academy of Art dominated both UH Hilo and Hawaii Pacific, taking six out of eight games. During that time, they surpassed the program's single season wins record (20) for the third-consecutive year when defeating UH Hilo 2-1 in game three.
 
 In the final game of the Hawaii Pacific series, all 12 seniors were honored for their hard work throughout their careers. Fittingly, senior righty Chris Petrosie, threw a complete game while only allowing two earned runs, and struck out four batters to earn the win. With this successful last home stand, the Urban Knights moved to a phenomenal, 17-9 record at home. Academy of Art ended the season with their best overall record in program history: 24-25 overall, and 19-21 in the PacWest.
 
"We're going to miss Murphy, Ray, and Bauer who all combined to give us a very formidable outfield," said head coach Dan McDermott. "What those guys have done for the program is irreplaceable."
 
Murphy, Ray, and Bauer all boasted 20 or more runs batted in this year. Between the three, they had 64 RBI, or over a third of the teams' total runs batted in. Furthermore, the trio combined for 11 of the 17 home runs the team hit throughout the season.
 
Team captain Izac Bauer ended his Academy of Art career as one of the premier hitters to come through the program. During his two seasons, the Seattle native stroked a .302 career batting average with 45 runs batted in and eight home runs. He was a leader on and off the field and always brought a positive attitude to the ballpark.
 
On the other side of the ball, McDermott spoke to losing his veteran staff: "We're going to miss Chris Rost and Alex Fernandez on the hill. Each of them had been with the program for four years. They were the mainstays of our staff."
 
Rost and Fernandez had the two lowest earned run averages on the team (2.62 and 2.96 respectively). They also combined for over 100 innings pitched and 84 strikeouts. With numbers like these it comes as no surprise they were both awarded All PacWest honors. Also awarded PacWest honors was junior second baseman Elijah Smith. Smith led the team in hits (49), triples (seven), and stolen bases (10). His seven three-baggers also led the conference.
 
The program now looks ahead to the 2019 season, hoping to continue its consistent positive progression.