Labonte earns Baseball America second team freshman steering Pilots ship

Former Okotoks Dawgs RHP Will Labonte (Montreal, Que.) earned second team Baseball America honours. Photo: University of Portland Athletics

June 25, 2026

Official University of Portland Athletics News Release

PORTLAND, Ore. – For the third time this summer, Portland Pilots pitcher Will Labonte has earned Freshman All-American honours, this time courtesy of Baseball America. Making the second team, he officially becomes the first Pilot in program history to earn three postseason All-American honours in the same year.

The selection comes after a stellar first year on the mound for the former Okotoks Dawg Labonte (Montreal, Que.). The right-hander posted a 2.82 ERA and a 3-2 record as a freshman. His ERA ranked fifth in the conference and 38th nationally and was second among WCC freshman and sixth nationally. He threw 73 1/3 innings, the most by any Pilot freshman since 2017, and had the best ERA for a freshman since Travis Radke in 2012.

Labonte adds to the list after earning NCBWA Freshman All-American and Perfect Game Freshman All-American honours earlier this month. Labonte made first team for the NCBWA and second team for Perfect Game. The Canadian also made the All-WCC Freshman Team and the All-WCC Second Team for his performance this season.

The Pilots finished the 2026 season at 27-25 overall, marking the fourth time in five seasons they’ve finished above .500 and that they’ve posted at least 25 wins or more.