Nov. 25, 2008

SAN DIEGO - San Diego State head baseball coach Tony Gwynn has announced the signing of 18 players to national letters of intent for the 2010 season. The class is comprised of 12 freshman and six junior college athletes, including a pair of athletes ranked among the top 100 prep recruits in the nation by Baseball America.

With the Aztecs expecting to lose a majority of their 2009 pitching staff to graduation and the draft, 12 of the new signings are hurlers, split equally between left- and right-handers.

Leading that group is a pair of nationally-ranked freshmen pitchers in Justin Bellez (RHP, Mira Mesa HS, San Diego) and Matt Nadolski (LHP, Casa Grande HS, Petaluma, Calif.). Bellez is ranked 71st in the nation by Baseball America after being named to the Milwaukee Brewers Area Code blue team last summer. As an infielder during his junior year he hit .354while doubling as a right-handed reliever. Nadolski (no. 88 by Baseball America), meanwhile, compiled a 2.77 earned run average last season, striking out 49 over 43 innings while batting .333 as an outfielder as well. He was selected to the Brewers Area Code gray team.

Among the top junior college recruits is a pair of pitchers from Fresno City JC: Steve Moranda (RHP) and Bobby Alcala (LHP). Moranda went 7-2 with a 3.38 ERA en route to earning first team all-conference honors in 2008. Alcala, a second-team all-league selection, compiled a mark of 2-0 with a 3.40 ERA in 16 appearances, striking out 60 in 42.1 innings pitched.

In addition, SDSU also inked LHP Shawn Sanford from Palomar College where he has been ranked 14th in the state among junior college pitchers. Sanford is a local product who attended Fallbrook High School where he earned all-league and all-county honors.

Among the remaining 13 players, six (four freshman, two JC) hail from the San Diego area. Both Adrian Bringas (3B/RHP) and Ryan Wynveen (LHP) are currently at Southwestern JC in nearby Chula Vista.

Bringas (Hilltop HS) was named to the Southern California JC All-America team after batting .333 with 14 doubles, nine HR and 61 RBIs last spring. As a relief pitcher, he had a 2-2 record with 10 saves. Wynveen (Patrick Henry HS) began his college career at UC Irvine (where he redshirted in 2007) before pitching at Orange Coast College in 2008.

The final junior college player to commit to the Aztecs is pitcher Zac Johnston (LHP, Saddleback JC, Mission Viejo, Calif.). Johnston turned in a 4-2 mark in 2008 with a 4.60 earned run average. Of his 19 appearances, nine came in a starting role as he struck out 42 and walked only 15 over 58.2 innings.

Three other area pitchers and an outfielder have also signed with the Aztecs for the 2010 season. Right-hander Ryan Wilkins (Cathedral Catholic HS) went 7-3 with a 3.02 ERA and also hit .414 with 11 doubles and 27 RBI. Bryan Crabb (RHP, Coronado HS) earned all-section accolades after going 8-3 with a 1.73 ERA as a junior last spring. Kyle Shaver (RHP, Westview HS) was a San Diego Union Tribune All-Academic selection who was 3-3 with a 3.94 earned run average. In addition, outfielder Matt Arlington (Point Loma HS) was named first-team all-league after batting .402 with 10 doubles and six home runs.

Of the six remaining freshman, three are in-state while three are from outside California. Ethan Miller (RHP, Ayala HS, Corona, Calif.) has been an all-league selection the past two seasons and a three-time MVP for his TNT Storm baseball club team. Shortstop Blair Moore (Riverside Poly) hit .333 as a junior with five home runs and 22 runs scored. The final Californian is Joe Schoenfeld, a talented catcher from Santiago High School in Corona.

The Aztec coaching staff left the state to pick up two infielders and a pitcher. Left-hander Matt McDaniel (Mid-Pacific Institute, Honolulu) went 5-1 with a 1.11 earned run average last season and tossed a no-hitter in which he struck out nine.

Jordan Van Hoosier, (Green Valley HS, Las Vegas) was recognized for his offensive skills after batting .519 with eight doubles, three HR, a .587 on-base percentage and .833 slugging percentage. He was a member of the Cincinnati Red Area Code squad. Shortstop Albert Alvarez, now at Kofa HS in Yuma, Ariz., after playing at Temecula Valley HS (Temecula, Calif) in 2008 where he turned in a .429 batting average with 20 stolen bases as a junior.

"We're very pleased with this recruiting class as it possesses a lot of talent from top to bottom," said Gwynn. "It looks to be heavy with pitching and needed to be as we expect to lose lot from our staff after the 2009 season. Even so, a lot of these guys are two-way players who will add depth at other positions as well.

"We have a good mix of freshmen and junior college athletes and all of them should come in and contribute immediately. This is another excellent group of recruits for us and we're looking forward having them join the Aztec baseball family."

SAN DIEGO STATE 2010 RECRUITING CLASS
Player             Pos.   Ht.   Wt.  Yr.  Current School
Bobby Alcala       LHP   5-10  170   Jr.  Fresno City JC (Fresno, Calif.)
Albert Alvarez      SS   6-1   170   Fr.  Kofa HS (Yuma, Ariz.)
Matt Arlington      OF   6-0   200   Fr.  Point Loma HS (San Diego, Calif.)
Justin Bellez      RHP   6-1   185   Fr.  Mira Mesa HS (San Diego, Calif.)
Adrian Bringas  3B/RHP   5-11  215   Jr.  Southwestern JC (Chula Vista, Calif.)
Bryan Crabb        RHP   5-10  175   Fr.  Coronado HS (Coronado, Calif.)
Zac Johnston       LHP   6-1   185   Jr.  Saddleback JC (Mission Viejo, Calif.)
Matt McDaniel      LHP   6-3   180   Fr.  Mid-Pacific Institute (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Ethan Miller       RHP   6-5   210   Fr.  Ayala HS (Chino Hills, Calif.)
Blair Moore         SS   6-1   155   Fr.  Riverside Poly (Riverside, Calif.)
Steve Moranda      RHP   6-2   195   Jr.  Fresno City JC (Fresno, Calif.)
Matt Nadolski      LHP   6-2   190   Fr.  Casa Grande HS (Petaluma, Calif.)
Shawn Sanford      LHP   6-4   185   Jr.  Palomar JC (San Marcos, Calif.)
Joe Schoenfeld       C   6-1   185   Fr.  Santiago HS (Corona, Calif.)
Kyle Shaver        RHP   6-2   170   Fr.  Westview HS (San Diego, Calif.)
Jordan Van Hoosier  SS   5-10  180   Fr.  Green Valley HS (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Ryan Wilkins       RHP   6-2   190   Fr.  Cathedral Catholic HS (San Diego, Calif.)
Ryan Wynveen       LHP   6-2   190   Jr.  Southwestern JC (Chula Vista, Calif.)
       (Yr. indicates class standing at SDSU in fall 2009)