HILLSBORO, Ore. -- The Northwest Conference announced their baseball all-conference teams for the 2026 season, with one player making a team and another picking up a major award.

Joey Marasco became the second Bruin in program history to be named NWC Rookie of the Year (alongside Noah Meffert in 2022) thanks to a standout freshman campaign. The freshman appeared in 37 games, and was second on the team with 40 hits.

Marasco, the usual leadoff hitter for Kevin Kopple's Bruins, recorded four doubles, a triple, and two home runs to finish the year with 19 RBI. On the field, the shortstop had 43 putouts and 96 assists to end with a .933 fielding percentage. Marasco is the eighth rookie of the year for GFU in the 2026-27 athletic season, joining Sara Marino and Andrew Dewar (cross country), Karsen Denault (football), Gabbie Pattie (women's swimming), Sydney Natche (men's basketball), and Carson Tapia and Makaylah Johnson (track and field).

On the flip side, Evan Balingit concluded his GFU baseball career with a third career all-conference nod. The senior from Danville, Calif. dealt with injuries throughout the season but still made an impact in his 25 games played. Balingit recorded 23 hits, including four for extra bases, and 11 RBI, and drew an impressive 19 walks to give him a career-high on-base percentage of .436.

While Balingit has played in his final game in a Bruin uniform, Marasco and a host of other hungry underclassmen will be back in action for the 2027 campaign.