IRVINE, Calif. – For the rest of the 2019-20 school year, we will be celebrating our Newport Rib Company Eagles of the Week by specifically focusing on senior student-athletes at Concordia who abruptly saw their spring seasons come to an end.
 
Many Concordia seniors are still determining whether they will or will not take advantage of the NCAA's decision to allow an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 situation. Regardless of what the future holds, we would like to honor this year's talented seniors during this unprecedented time.
 
Without further ado, we are excited to announce that senior shortstop Haloa Dudoit from the CUI baseball team has been chosen as our latest Newport Rib Company Eagle of the Week.
 
The Hawaii native was one of many talented seniors on a veteran squad that rose to the occasion during its shortened 2020 campaign. The Eagles were ranked multiple weeks in the top five of the NCAA DII regional rankings by the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and broke in to the top 25 national rankings at No. 23 for the first time.
 
Dudoit was a key reason why the Eagles were trending upward and developing into a true contender for both the PacWest Conference crown and also a potential spot in the NCAA DII regional playoffs.
 
"The past few days have been extremely unorthodox, especially with how quick everything is moving in terms of decisions being made and the magnitude of the decisions," admitted Dudoit. "Our senior class as a whole, along with the team, are staying positive and moving forward one day at a time, knowing that God has a plan for us."
 
"Of course I miss the game and competing each day to better myself and help better my teammates," continued Dudoit. "What I miss the most, however, is the shenanigans that went on behind the scenes that not many outsiders get to see. The conversations, the messing around in the clubhouse, the bus rides, all these things I will remember forever, even more than the things that happened in games to an extent. The relationships we have built as a team are so strong and not having that has been tough to deal with."
 
Serving as the leadoff hitter for the Eagles for the fourth straight season, Dudoit led CUI in multiple categories including hits (35), runs scored (27), and at-bats (101).  He started all 24 games at shortstop and batted .347 with eight doubles, four steals and 12 RBI.
 
"As the leadoff hitter, it is my job to get on base for the guys behind," said Dudoit. "It does not matter how, just getting on base gives the eight guys after me an opportunity to do the same. I always feel that there are momentum plays and leading off and getting on base is one of these plays. Not just me but anyone leading off an inning and we as a team have done that pretty well this past year."
 
Dudoit delivered from the start, setting the table with a season-high three base knocks in the opening game of the year against Cal State Dominguez Hills.  Dudoit ultimately led the Green and Gold with 14 multi-hit games and drew a dozen walks to boost his on-base percentage to .422, which was the third-best mark among CUI regulars. He was named the 2019 PacWest Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and began his senior campaign as a Preseason All-Conference selection as well.
 
"Haloa is as solid and consistent college baseball player you are going to find," said CUI head coach Joe Turgeon. "Day in and day out you can count on him. His leadership and core values on and off the field make him one of the guys we as a staff lean on for player leadership. He has grown relationships with people across campus and has represented himself and his family at a tremendous level. He is a tremendous baseball player but a better person that is leaving his mark on this program for years to come."
 
We want to be sure to point out that Dudoit was not the only CUI senior who was a key contributor to this year's baseball team. A trio of his classmates were named PacWest Player of the Week during the abbreviated season, with on-base machine Bailey Collins earning the nod in February as well as centerfielder Matt Lautz and designated hitter Cooper Moore all garnering recognition from the conference over the course of a two-month period.
 
Among qualifying players, Collins sported a team-best .375 batting average and worked a team-high 19 walks, which helped him post an eye-popping .500 on-base percentage. The Colorado native also displayed fantastic defense by robbing a player of a home run at the fence.
 
Lautz hit a walk-off homer to beat Point Loma, batted .300 and led the Eagles with eight steals, while Moore was first on the squad with seven homers and 10 doubles in addition to batting .326 with 21 RBI.
 
CUI senior outfielder Alex DiMascio also delivered in the clutch with a pinch-hit home run against Westcliff, starting right fielder Jair Donovan led CUI with 22 RBI, and Shane Hersh led the club with three triples while solidifying the second base spot with snazzy defense and timely hitting.
 
VIDEO: CUI's DiMascio reflects on his pinch-hit homer vs. Westcliff
 
We haven't even mentioned yet catcher Tony Garcia III, who teamed with senior pitchers such as Brett Vansant (3-0, 2.96 ERA) and Isaiah Bettencourt (2.70 ERA, 13 strikeouts in 13.1 innings of relief) to establish themselves on the mound with junior ace Jimmy Endersby, who led the staff with a 5-0 record and multiple complete games.
 
With its seniors leading the way, CUI was fantastic on its home field, sporting a 14-3 mark at newly renovated Eagles Field.
 
"We attribute our success at home to the fact that everyone was bought in this year," explained Dudoit. "It was amazing to see how everyone and I mean everyone was pulling for each other, from the team to coaches, and even the commentators and game day staff and administration. We were able to be a cohesive team that could perform at our best together because everyone was pulling on the same side of the rope."

"We had a great team with great people more importantly and would have obviously loved to see the season play out," added Turgeon. "This team took advantage of every moment and did so many things at high levels to be great and better us for the future. When you live life by doing what's right on a moment-to-moment basis, you won't have regrets."

"The fact that we couldn't play out the season does not matter," added Turgeon. "These guys treat people right, live their life for our Lord and represent their families which is way more important than any particular result to our baseball season. As the guys have gone home, I'm comforted in knowing that each of them will lead and protect those around them during these tough times. My staff and our families wil do anything we can for each of our players and their families during these uncharted waters. Our Faith in God and his plans for us hold strong in our hearts."
 
The CUI baseball team finished the abbreviated regular season with a 17-7 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the PacWest Conference after completing a sweep of Holy Names and splitting a four-game series with Fresno Pacific. Coach Turgeon also claimed victory No. 100 of his head coaching career in late February.