In brief: GU’s Martin an All-American

Baseball: Gonzaga University senior pitcher Cody Martin has been named to the Baseball America All-American first team.

The teams were voted by the staff of Baseball America after the regional round of the NCAA baseball championships.

As one of six pitchers to be selected first team, Martin is the only one listed as a reliever. The Bulldogs closer made 25 appearances and in 52 1/3 innings pitched, he allowed five earned runs to post a 0.86 earned-run average, which is still the lowest in the country. Martin also recorded 12 saves to break Gonzaga’s single-season record of nine, which he set as a freshman.

An All-West Coast Conference selection, Martin was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the seventh round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft held last week.

Lamb signs, will play in Spokane

Baseball: The Texas Rangers have agreed to terms with second-round pick Will Lamb, a left-handed pitcher from Clemson.

Lamb, who was Texas’ third overall pick, was assigned to the Spokane Indians of the Northwest League.

The 6-foot-6, 180-pound Virginia native went 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings. He also hit .348 with three home runs, 39 RBIs and 13 steals.

The Rangers have now signed 18 of their 51 draft picks.

Associated Press

Whitworth hires softball coach

Softball: Cristal Brown will coach softball at Whitworth University, the school announced Wednesday.

Brown, a former small-college All-American, just completed her fourth season as the head coach at Kingsburg High School in Kingsburg, Calif. During her four seasons the Vikings went 101-29, won four Central Sequoia League championships, won a Central Section (CIF) crown in 2008 and finished as Central Section runners-up in 2009. She is a three-time Central Sequoia League Coach of the Year honoree.

Brown was the Western State Conference Junior College Player of the Year in 1998 at Bakersfield JC before earning second team NAIA All-America honors at Azusa Pacific in 2000.

Brown follows Joe Abraham, who coached three years at Whitworth and accumulated a 53-58 record before he left to return home to Ohio.