IRVING, Texas – UCF sophomore shortstop Antonio Jimenez earned All-Big 12 Conference Second Team honors while four others received All-Big 12 Honorable Mention recognition as announced Tuesday by the conference office.
Jimenez highlights the group by earning the first second team all-conference honors of his career, while fellow sophomore Andrew Williamson (outfield), and juniors DeAmez Ross (outfield), Edian Espinal (second base), and Dylan King (catcher) were all named honorable mention selections for the 2025 campaign.
Jimenez was tabbed to the league’s second team after having a stellar inaugural year in Orlando in which he batted .329 with 11 home runs, 14 doubles, two triples, 55 runs scored and 51 runs batted in. He also stole 11 bags, walked 25 times, recorded a .407 on-base percentage and a .575 slugging clip. He finished second on the team in a number of categories—home runs, runs, RBIs and extra-base hits with 25.
A native of Davie, Florida, Jimenez also played solid defense all season long, as he finished the year with 71 putouts, 124 assists and a .961 fielding percentage while starting all 55 games at shortstop. He was also named to the 2025 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award Watch List last month, an award that recognizes the nation’s top shortstop.
The sophomore outfielder Williamson earned honorable mention recognition after leading the Knights in nearly every offensive category on the season. He hit .352 with team-leading tallies of 13 home runs, 19 doubles, four triples, 58 runs scored and 53 runs batted in. The native of St. Petersburg, Florida also led the way in walks (34), on-base percentage (.448), slugging (.662), and finished second in stolen bases by going a perfect 13-for-13. He committed just one error in the outfield, as he recorded defensive tallies of 92 putouts, three outfield assists and a .990 fielding percentage while starting all 55 games in right field. Williamson also led the squad with a 31-game reached base safely streak as well as 26 multiple-hit games and 16 multiple-RBI contests on the year.
After leading the team in batting and the Big 12 Conference in hits, junior outfielder Ross picked up honorable mention honors. Ross led the Black and Gold on the year with a .359 average and 84 hits. The 84 hits were not only good enough to lead the league but also currently rank him 18th nationally. The Melbourne, Florida native also led the team in stolen bases with 14 and finished second in doubles with 15 and third in runs scored with 53. He totaled 19 extra-base hits on the season along with 35 RBIs from the leadoff spot. Ross started all 55 games in center field and led the team with an 18-game hitting streak in his first season in a UCF uniform.
The junior college transfer Espinal had a strong start to his first season at the NCAA Division I level as he got off to an impressive start by hitting over .500 through the first month to lead the nation in batting at one point. He finished the season with a .335 clip and 17 extra-base hits, 41 runs scored, 37 RBIs, 21 walks and 11 stolen bases. He also posted a .470 slugging percentage and a .434 on-base clip. In 51 games played and 46 starts (33 starts at second base and 13 at designated hitter), the native of Canovanas, Puerto Rico recorded a 14-game hitting streak on the year as well as a 28-game reached base safely streak. He also posted 19 multiple-hit games and 11 multiple-RBI ones.
With a solid season both offensively and defensively, King became UCF’s every-day catcher as well as one of the top catchers in the league by starting 40 games behind the plate which included finishing the season by catching 19 consecutive games. The redshirt junior from Delray Beach, Florida hit .326 on the year with nine home runs, 13 doubles, two triples, 34 runs scored and 34 runs batted in. With 24 extra-base hits, he finished second on the team in both slugging and on-base percentage with respective tallies of .652 and .442. He also threw out seven would-be base stealers on the season and recorded 318 putouts, 23 assists and a .977 fielding percentage.
The honorees were selected in a vote by the league’s head coaches, who could not vote for their own players.
2025 ALL-BIG 12 CONFERENCE AWARDS
Of the Year
Player - Kerrington Cross, Cincinnati
Pitcher - Antoine Jean, Houston
Co-Newcomers - Matt King, Arizona State & Harrison Bodendorf, Oklahoma State
Freshman - Sawyer Strosnider, TCU
Scholar-Athlete - Tony Pluta, Arizona
Coach - Dan Fitzgerald, Kansas
All-Big 12 First Team
C: Logan Sauve, West Virginia
IF: Matt King, Arizona State
IF: Tyriq Kemp, Baylor
IF: Kerrington Cross, Cincinnati*
IF: Brady Ballinger, Kansas
IF: Core Jackson, Utah
OF: Isaiah Jackson, Arizona State
OF: Sawyer Strosnider, TCU
OF: Damian Bravo, Texas Tech
OF: Logan Hughes, Texas Tech
DH: Noah Franco, TCU
UT: Landon Hairston, Arizona State
SP: Harrison Bodendorf, Oklahoma State
SP: Tommy LaPour, TCU
SP: Colter McAnelly, Utah
SP: Griffin Kirn, West Virginia
RP: Cole Carlon, Arizona State
RP: Gabe Craig, Baylor
RP: Antoine Jean, Houston
*- unanimous selection
All-Big 12 Second Team
C: Jack Natili, Cincinnati
C: Nolan Traeger, TCU
IF: Mason White, Arizona
IF: Kyle Walker, Arizona State
IF: Antonio Jimenez, UCF
IF: Maximus Martin, Kansas State
IF: Robin Villeneuve, Texas Tech
OF: Jackson Hauge, Kansas
OF: Keegan O’Connor, Kansas State
OF: Chase Brunson, TCU
OF: Kyle West, West Virginia
DH: Dariel Osoria, Kansas
UT: Karson Bowen, TCU
SP: Ben Jacobs, Arizona State
SP: Cooper Moore, Kansas
SP: Sean Youngerman, Oklahoma State
SP: Jack Kartsonas, West Virginia
RP: Tony Pluta, Arizona
RP: Sean Youngerman, Oklahoma State
RP: Jack Cebert, Texas Tech
A tie resulted in two catchers on the second team.
All-Freshman Team
Smith Bailey, Arizona
Landon Hairston, Arizona State
Pearson Riebock, Baylor
Quinton Coats, Cincinnati
AJ Evasco, Kansas State
Mason Brassfield, TCU
Kade Eudy, TCU
Noah Franco, TCU
Sawyer Strosnider, TCU
Nolan Traeger, TCU
Austen Roellig, Utah
Gavin Kelly, West Virginia
All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Arizona: Adonys Guzman, Owen Kramkowski, Brendan Summerhill, Aaron Walton
Arizona State: Brandon Compton, Josiah Cromwick, Landon Hairston, Lucas Kelly, Jack Martinez, Jacob Tobias, Kien Vu
Baylor: Pearson Riebock, Travis Sanders
BYU: Parker Goff, Ryder Robinson, Cooper Vest
UCF: Edian Espinal, Dylan King, DeAmez Ross, Andrew Williamson
Cincinnati: Kellen O'Connor, Nathan Taylor, Landyn Vidourek
Kansas: Brady Counsell (INF/UT)
Kansas State: Seth Dardar (INF/DH), Jacob Frost, James Guyette, Maximus Martin (UT)
Oklahoma State: Colin Brueggemann, Ian Daugherty, Mario Pesca, Nolan Schubart, Brayden Smith
TCU: Mason Brassfield, Kade Eudy, Anthony Silva
Utah: Austen Roellig
West Virginia: Reese Bassinger, Chase Meyer, Jace Rinehart, Sam White