O'Brien and Bonham Earn Conference Honors
5/19/2026 3:05:00 PM | Baseball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Today The Big West Conference announced the 2026 Big West Baseball All-Conference honors. UC Riverside had two players selected.
Matthew O'Brien was selected to the All-Big West Second Team. Out of Simi Valley, Calif., the lefty played at Royal High School. From there he went to Hawai'i Hilo where he played two seasons before transferring to UC Riverside. This year O'Brien was the work horse for the Highlanders throwing a team high 77.2 innings and leading the team in strikeouts with 40. He pitched UCR's first complete game since 2022 in a 10-4 win over Cal Poly in March. In a 3-1 win over CSUN, O'Brien pitched 7.1 innings surrendering one run and striking out six.Â
Lucas Bonham was an honorable mention selection this year. The infielder saw time at third, shortstop and at second in 2026. He played in and started 47 games for the Highlanders after transferring from El Camino College in Torrance, Calif. Prior to playing at El Camino he played his high school baseball at El Segundo High School. In his first season in the IE, Bonham made an impact in the line up. He led the team in in slugging (.434), home runs (9) and total bases (79). His nine home runs tied him for tenth in the conference. He had a team high 11-game hitting streak and led the team with 12 multi-hit games.Â
To see the complete release click here.
Matthew O'Brien was selected to the All-Big West Second Team. Out of Simi Valley, Calif., the lefty played at Royal High School. From there he went to Hawai'i Hilo where he played two seasons before transferring to UC Riverside. This year O'Brien was the work horse for the Highlanders throwing a team high 77.2 innings and leading the team in strikeouts with 40. He pitched UCR's first complete game since 2022 in a 10-4 win over Cal Poly in March. In a 3-1 win over CSUN, O'Brien pitched 7.1 innings surrendering one run and striking out six.Â
Lucas Bonham was an honorable mention selection this year. The infielder saw time at third, shortstop and at second in 2026. He played in and started 47 games for the Highlanders after transferring from El Camino College in Torrance, Calif. Prior to playing at El Camino he played his high school baseball at El Segundo High School. In his first season in the IE, Bonham made an impact in the line up. He led the team in in slugging (.434), home runs (9) and total bases (79). His nine home runs tied him for tenth in the conference. He had a team high 11-game hitting streak and led the team with 12 multi-hit games.Â
To see the complete release click here.
Players Mentioned
3B
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LHP
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