On Tuesday, Conference USA released its regular season awards for baseball as sophomore outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. won Newcomer of the Year for his performances throughout his first year in the conference.

With the announcement, he became the first player in program history to receive the award.

Rincones Jr. also made the first team alongside sophomore infielder Nolan Schanuel while senior pitcher Hunter Cooley and sophomore outfielder Dylan Goldstein made the second team. 

After spending last season in St. Petersburg College, the Scotland native transferred to FAU. He was named the Florida College System Activities Association Athletics (FCSAA) Region 8 Player of the Year this past season, the top player among Florida junior colleges. 

After hitting .415 with six home runs and 43 RBI, he was also named a First Team All-American. He had a school-record 36-game hitting streak, which came after a true freshman season where he had a .432 batting average with four home runs and 28 RBI in just 24 games played.

In his first season in an FAU jersey, Rincones Jr. led the Owls with 66 RBI. He and Goldstein topped the team in home runs with 18 apiece. Along with his 66 RBI, he accumulated 79 hits and 58 runs scored.

The sophomore started all 55 games and hit .346 for his batting average as an Owl. He finished in the top five in C-USA in almost every offensive category. 

Gianna Alberti is a staff writer at the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email her at [email protected].