Santa Clara Signees Earn Sectional High School Honors

Santa Clara Signees Earn Sectional High School Honors

June 16, 2006

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The future continues to look bright for the Santa Clara University baseball team as local members of 2007's freshman class were honored with All-Section team berths by the San Jose Mercury News and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Bellarmine College Prep star Nate Garcia was named Central Coast Section Baseball Player of the Year by the Mercury News on the heels of a senior year which saw him go 10-1 with a 1.33 ERA and three saves. He also struck out 79 batters in 73.2 innings of work. At the plate, Garcia was a force, batting .420 with nine home runs, 43 RBIs and a .594 on-base percentage.

His stellar senior year helped propel the Bells to the CCS Division I title as well as the top ranking in the state and No. 5 spot in USA Today's national rankings. During Bellarmine's tournament run, Garcia went 3-0 with a save and hit a go-ahead homer in the team's 5-4 title game win over Valley Christian. In two starts on the mound in the tournament, he posted an opening-round no-hitter against Mt. Pleasant and a one-hitter in a semifinal win over Santa Teresa.

Fellow 2006 signee and Bellarmine teammate Tommy Medica was named to the All-CCS First Team and to the Chronicle's All-Metro Second Team along with Garcia. The Bells' catcher and leadoff man concluded his high school career by hitting .427 with seven home runs and 35 runs batted in. Additionally, Medica's 50 hits equaled the Bellarmine single-season record, previously held by current San Francisco Giants second baseman Kevin Frandsen.

Garcia and Medica signed National Letters of Intent to attend Santa Clara in November, 2005.