SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State senior right-hander Ethan Lay and junior outfielder Erick Dessens were named to the first team while freshman outfielder Sam Harry picked up second-team honors on Tuesday as the Western Athletic Conference released its 2026 postseason honor roll according to a vote of the league's head coaches prior to first pitch of this year's league tournament.

All three players were honored by the WAC coaches for the first time in their respective careers.

The first-team awards for both Lay and Dessens gave the Hornets multiple first-team honorees for the second straight season (they had four in 2025) and the 11th time since 2012. Meanwhile, Harry becomes the first Sacramento State freshman to make the all-league team since both JP Smith and Wehiwa Aloy — who was also the WAC Freshman of the Year — in 2023.

Harry also becomes only the 10th Hornet freshman to earn all-league honors since 2006, joining first-teamers Chris Lewis (2013 Freshman of the Year), Sutter McLoughlin (2013), Parker Brahms (2017), JP Smith (2023), and second-teamers Jesse Darrah (2009), Rhys Hoskins (2012 Freshman of the Year), Sam Long (2014 Freshman of the Year), Keith Torres (2018), and Aloy.

Lay enters the WAC Tournament with a 4-3 record and a 3.57 ERA in 14 starts this season having struck out 85 batters in 80.2 innings while walking only 13 and holding opponents to a .255 average. One of 43 semifinalists for the College Baseball Foundation's National Pitcher of the Year award and a two-time WAC Pitcher of the Week in 2026, Lay leads the league in innings pitched and fewest walks allowed while standing second in strikeouts and fourth in both ERA and average against.

Nationally, he also ranks No. 16 in the country in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.54) and fewest walks per nine (1.45), while standing among the top 100 pitchers in the nation in strikeouts (No. 79) and WHIP (No. 97).

Dessens helped power the Hornet offense during the regular season to the tune of a .362 average and a .991 OPS, scoring 48 runs scored, collecting 16 doubles, and slugging 10 home runs while driving in 60. The WAC Player of the Week on April 6, Dessens has racked up 84 hits — which are two shy of breaking into the school's single-season top 10 and ranks No. 9 in the NCAA — and stands among the league's top 10 in seven different offensive categories.

His RBI total for for the year has him in a tie for 10th with three other Hornet greats on the school's single-season list while his 16 doubles are three back and his 25 multi-hit games are one shy of a spot in those respective top 10's.

Harry enters the postseason ranked third on the team with a .326 average, slugging .487 on the year with a .408 on-base percentage as Sacramento State's lead-off threat atop the order. He has scored a team-high 52 runs, collected a team-high 17 doubles as part of his 73 hits this year, and driven in 34. His 52 runs are four shy of a seven-way tie for 10th on the school's single-season chart, while his 17 doubles are two back of a spot in the top 10.

He ranks among the top 10 in the WAC in doubles, hits, and runs scored, entering the conference tournament on an eight-game hitting streak, batting .361 with nine runs scored, four doubles, and six RBI in that stretch.

Sacramento State opens WAC Tournament play on Wednesday (May 20) at 3 p.m. PT as the No. 4 seed, taking on No. 5 Abilene Christian in an opening-round contest at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz. The winner advances to take on No. 1 Tarleton State on Thursday (May 21) at 3 p.m. PT, while the loser faces either Utah Tech or UT Arlington later Wednesday night at 7 p.m. PT in an elimination game.

2026 ALL-WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE HONORS
WAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Chris Ramirez, So., SS, California Baptist

WAC PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Michael Malki, So., RHP, California Baptist

WAC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Cole Hansen, DH/UTL, California Baptist

WAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Chris Ramirez, So., SS, California Baptist

WAC COACH OF THE YEAR
Fuller Smith, Tarleton State

ALL-WAC FIRST TEAM
SP – Michael Malki, So., RHP, California Baptist
SP – Ethan Lay, Sr., RHP, Sacramento State
RP – Zachary Yates, Gr., California Baptist
C – Ty Johnsen, R-Sr., Utah Tech
1B – Hunter Katschke, Sr., Utah Valley
2B – Kyle McDaniel, Jr., Utah Tech
3B – Ryan Kroepel, Jr., Utah Tech
SS – Chris Ramirez, So., California Baptist
OF – Erick Dessens, Jr., Sacramento State
OF – Rayner Heinrich, So., Tarleton State
OF – Kaden Carpenter, Sr., Utah Valley
DH/UTL – Diego Cardenas, Sr., Abilene Christian

ALL-WAC SECOND TEAM
SP – Matthew McCullough, Fr., RHP, Tarleton State
SP – Caylon Dygert, Jr., RHP, UT Arlington
RP – Anthony Treto, Jr., RHP, Tarleton State
C – Sergio Guerra, Sr., Tarleton State
1B – Miller Durham, Jr., Utah Tech
2B – Xavier Melendez, Sr., UT Arlington
3B – Connor Ross, Jr., California Baptist
SS – Zandt Payne, Gr., Abilene Christian
SS – Petey Soto Jr., Jr., Utah Tech
OF – Bryce McFeely, Gr., California Baptist
OF – Sam Harry, Fr., Sacramento State
OF – Jake Tatom, Sr., Tarleton State
DH/UTL – Cole Hansen, Fr., California Baptist

WAC ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
SS – Zandt Payne, Gr., Abilene Christian
SS – Chris Ramirez, So., California Baptist
C – Matt Chavez, Sr., California Baptist
SS – Ike Shirey, Sr., Tarleton State
SS – Petey Soto Jr., Jr., Utah Tech