PCC Baseball's Tello Makes All-American, Olguin, Blessinger All-SoCal
Shortstop Raider Tello picked up two more accolades for his record-breaking season on the Pasadena City College baseball team by being selected All-American Pacific Association Division Third Team as well as All-State.
Shortstop Raider Tello picked up two more accolades for his record-breaking season on the Pasadena City College baseball team by being selected ABCA All-American Pacific Association Division Third Team as well as All-State.
Centerfielder Max Blessinger and relief pitcher Benny Olguin each were named to the All-Southern California Team.
Recently chosen as PCC Men's Athlete of the Year, the redshirt freshman Tello had one of the most remarkable seasons in Lancers baseball history. The Arcadia High grad broke four single-season school records, including most hits (77), most runs batted in (53), most doubles (19) and most at-bats (191) as he helped PCC to a 28-15 season, the most victories by a PCC team since 1951 and third highest in school history. Tello led the team in batting average with a .403 mark, fourth highest in school history, and he scored 42 runs, also fourth on the all-time list.
Tello's .639 slugging percentage is third best ever since the statistic began being recorded here in the 1990s. In 42 games played, the All-South Coast Conference First Team selection had 21 multiple hits games, including two 5-hit games, three 4-hit games, and six 3-hit contests. He hit safely in 37 of the 42 games. He started his collegiate career on a 21-game hitting streak. In state rankings, Tello finished fourth in the state in doubles, fifth in total hits (led state at end of regular season), and 12th in RBI.
Tello became the fifth All-American selection under PCC head coach Pat McGee since 2017.
Blessinger was the CCCSIA State Men's Athlete of the Month in March, the first time any PCC male student-athlete won the presitigious award since 2007. The sophomore transfer was one of the region's best centerfielders as he was named All-SCC First Team. As the team's leadoff hitter, he broke the PCC record for runs scored in a season with 53. His 48 RBI would have snapped the single-season record if not for teammate Tello (the previous high was 44 by Jeremy Conant in 2017). Blessinger's 67 hits is third most in PCC history.
He batted .362 and led the team in on-base percentage at .460 as he hit safely in 38 of the team's 43 games. He had a streak of 21 straight games of crossing home plate at least once. He drove in an incredible 30 RBI during that month. Both Tello and Blessinger also earned CCCBCA Co-State Player of the Week honors in March.
Olguin led the SCC in ERA with a 2.51 mark and he finished with a 7-2 mound record. He struck out 68 batters in 71.2 innings. A sophomore who started his PCC career in 2019 and had his 2020 season cut short returned as the team's veteran go-to hurler. He earned victories over both of the Co-SCC champion teams in Mt. San Antonio and Long Beach City College. He was the lone reliever picked to the 2022 All-SCC First Team. Olguin six times pitched five or more innings in relief, compiling a 4-1 mark in those contests.
