Arroyo, Johnson and Katz were selected to the first team while Acha earned second team honors. Johnson was also selected Newcomer of the Year and Hornet head coach John Smith was named Coach of the Year. The voting was made by representatives from Hawai’i-Hilo, IP-Fort Wayne, New York Tech, Northern Colorado, Pace University, Sacramento State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas-Pan American and Utah Valley State.

Arroyo served as the catalyst for the Hornet offense this season after transferring from the College of Charleston. After sitting out the 2003 season with a hand injury, he made a major impact on the Hornet roster as the squad’s lead-off man and starting second baseman in 2004. Arroyo did not miss a game in the 2004 campaign and led the Hornets with 81 hits, eight home runs, 113 total bases and 20 stolen bases. His hit total places him tied for seventh in the program single-season record book. Among his other accomplishments during the year was a two-home run effort against San Francisco on May 4, a 4-for-4 performance at the plate against UC Santa Barbara on April 2, a 14-game hitting streak and a straight steal of home plate against Washington State on May 9. He also earned Hornet Bookstore Athlete of the Week honors on Feb. 15.

Johnson finished his first year with the program after transferring from Porterville JC. The right fielder ended the year leading the squad in batting average (.337), doubles (13), triples (three), RBI (42), slugging percentage (.488), walks (47), on-base percentage (.471) and sacrifice bunts (10). His sacrifice total ties him for first in the program single-season record book. During the year, Johnson was named NCAA Div. I Independent Player of the Week (May 17, May 5), Independent Newcomer of the Week (March 31) and Hornet Bookstore Student Athlete of the Week on March 28. He was also selected to the Academic All-District VIII first team and was named to the Div. I Independent All-Academic team. Johnson became the second Hornet to receive Independent Newcomer of the Year honors (Mikela Olsen - 2003).

Katz was the Hornets No. 1 starter and proved to be one of the most dominant starters on the West Coast in his first year with the program. He finished the season with two Independent Pitcher of the Week honors after registering wins against second-ranked Stanford and Cal Poly. Against the Cardinal, Katz allowed one unearned run on four hits while walking four and striking out seven in 9.0 innings. With the victory, the Hornets defeated their highest-ranked opponent in program history. Katz ended several streaks for Stanford including consecutive games with at least two runs (31), games with at least 10 hits (12) and a seven-game winning streak. Stanford entered the contest with a 22-1 record vs. right-handed pitchers. Against the Mustangs, Katz allowed only one run on seven hits while walking two and striking out eight in 9.0 innings. A transfer from East Los Angeles JC, Katz lead the Hornet pitching staff with a 9-5 record, a 4.01 ERA, five complete games, one shutout, 110.0 innings pitched and 90 strikeouts in 16 starts. He also became the first Hornet to pitch back-to-back complete-game victories since Jeff Groeger accomplished the feat during the 2002 season (May 4, May 10).

Acha competed in his second season with the Hornet program after transferring from Modesto JC. The third baseman was leading the squad in most offensive categories until suffering a finger injury which forced him to sit out 12 games. Despite missing time, Acha still tied for the team lead with eight home runs. Acha finished the 2004 season batting .306 with 59 hits, 34 RBI, 92 total bases, a .477 slugging percentage, a .376 on-base percentage and nine stolen bases. On March 9, he was named NCAA Div. I Independent Player of the Week and was recently selected Hornet Male Senior Athlete of the Year. He was also selected to the Academic All-District VIII first team and was named to the Div. I Independent All-Academic team. As a junior, Acha batted .322 with 57 hits, nine doubles, three triples, two home runs, 24 RBI, 78 total bases and a .441 slugging percentage as a utility infielder. On April 5, 2003, he set the program single-game record by recording two triples in a game against Cal State Hayward.

Head coach John Smith led the Hornets to a 29-32 record in 2004 and finished with a 5-2 record against Independent competition. In his 26th season with the program, Smith tallied his 750th career victory with a 3-1 win over Washington State on May 9. He has led the Hornets to 17 winnings seasons, including 11 years with at least 30 wins and four years with at least 40 wins. His 755 career wins rank him among the top-30 active Division I coaches.

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