Nov. 23, 2005
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara baseball recruiting class of 2006 was announced today as head coach Mark O'Brien announced the signing of ten high school seniors to National Letters of Intent to attend Santa Clara University next fall.
The class includes eight players from California, one from Arizona and one from Washington.
Nathan Garcia (Bellarmine College Prep), Patrick Glenn (Amador Valley HS), Matthew Hiserman (Capistrano Valley HS), Steven Kalush (Aragon HS), Geoffrey Klein (Ocean View HS), Tommy Medica (Bellarmine College Prep), Alex Rivers (Tokay HS) and Dylan Slocum (Paloma Valley HS) make up the California contingent. Tayler Thomas (Salpointe Catholic HS) hails from Arizona and Jeremy Zink (Garfield HS) will come to the Mission Campus from the state of Washington.
"This is a very strong class in both numbers and talent," said head coach Mark O'Brien. "We strongly believe that each of these players can make significant impacts in our program right away. I am extremely happy with the character and attitude of each of these future Broncos.
"Assistant coaches Mike Oakland, Mike Zirelli and Matt Mueller have once again done a tremendous job in producing a high-caliber class of players to represent Santa Clara Baseball," O'Brien continued. "We are getting some very talented pitchers who are extremely competitive and have pitched at a high level throughout their careers, and we are very excited with the talent and potential of our position-player signees."
The 2006 baseball season opens up Feb. 3 as the Broncos host the University of Pacific a 6 p.m. at Stephen Schott Stadium in the first leg of a three-game series. The next two games of the series will be played in Stockton. Santa Clara returns six starters this season, including All-WCC first-team selection Kevin Drever, who led the Broncos with a .327 average in 2005.
Santa Clara Baseball Recruiting Class of 2006
Nathan Garcia
A local standout right-handed pitcher from Bellarmine College Prep, Garcia is coming off of an outstanding 2005 season in which he went 11-1 with a 1.67 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 71 innings of work. Those numbers earned Garcia a place on the All-CCS second team as well as the All-West Catholic Athletic League first team and team MVP honors for a nationally-ranked Bells team that won a CCS-record 34 games in 2005.
Garcia also played in the Junior Olympics in 2003 and 2004 and was named a PUMA 2006 All-American.
Patrick Glenn
Glenn, a second baseman and outfielder for Amador Valley High School, is a versatile player who will bring a varied repertoire both offensively and defensively to Santa Clara.
Last season he hit .335 with three homers and 28 RBIs and also served as the starting quarterback for Amador Valley, leading the Dons to the division finals.
Matthew Hiserman
Right-hander Matthew Hiserman will come to the Mission Campus from Capistrano Valley High School. A valuable utility player who starred as a pitcher, second baseman and outfielder, Hiserman has helped the Cougars to three consecutive South Coast League championships and carried a 4-1 record with a 2.32 ERA before his junior season was cut short due to injury.
Hiserman also played for Capistrano Valley's American Legion team, batting over .600 and earning all-area honors as a utility player, playing all positions that season except for catcher and second base. Later in the summer he played for the Encinitas Reds, helping the team to the U.S. Amateur Baseball Federation U-19 wood-bat championship.
Steven Kalush
Kalush, out of Aragon High School, was the fifth-rated pitcher at the Perfect Game Showcase in the summer of 2005.
The right-hander posted a 6-3 record for Aragon last season, with a 1.83 ERA. He struck out 55 batters in 61 innings of work and only walked 13, holding opponents to a paltry .168 batting average.
Geoffrey Klein
Southern California native Geoffrey Klein brings an impressive list of credentials to the Mission Campus. A first-team All-Golden West League selection, Klein batted .310 with 17 RBIs, a triple and eight doubles in leading Ocean View High School to the CIF Division III Championship in 2005.
Klein, a participant in the CBCA North-South All-Star Showcase last season, also demonstrated his defensive skills behind the plate, managing the Ocean View pitching staff to a team ERA of 1.26.
Tommy Medica
A standout backstop out of San Jose's Bellarmine College Prep, Medica brings not only a strong ability to manage a pitching staff but a penchant for hitting for power and getting on base as well.
Medica participated in the 2005 CBCA North-South All-Star game after a season which saw him earn First-team All-WCAL honors. Playing for a nationally-ranked Bells squad, he hit .371 with five home runs, 34 RBIs, 48 runs scored, 20 walks and an on-base percentage of .471.
Alex Rivers
Ranked No. 227 in Baseball America's class of 2006 Top 400, the right-handed Rivers led Tokay High School to the South Subsection Championship
A first-team selection by the San Joaquin Athletic Association, Rivers posted a 5-2 record with a 1.31 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 53 innings. He hurled a pair of shutouts and also had a no-hitter to his credit. He was also invited to play in the prestigious Perfect Game Showcase over the summer.
Dylan Slocum
A 6-5 right-hander from Paloma Valley High School, Slocum was named PVHS' Pitcher of the Year in 2005. He struck out 49 batters in as many innings while notching a 6-2 record and 1.79 ERA.
Slocum's stats earned him a spot on the All-Sunbelt League first team and the Honorable Mention All-Valley Team.
Tayler Thomas
Playing first base and catcher, Tucson, Ariz. native Tayler Thomas will bring a power-hitting edge to the Broncos upon his arrival in the 2007 season.
A first-team All-Region 5A Southern Section selection for Salpointe Catholic High School, Thomas hit .395 with five homers and nine doubles with a slugging percentage of .667.
Jeremy Zink
Zink, a 6-2 southpaw for Garfield High School in Wash., was one of the top pitchers for the Bulldogs last season. He posted a 4-3 record with a 2.30 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings of work and was named All-League Honorable Mention.
This summer Zink played for the Seattle Mariners' prestigious Area Code team in the Area Code Games in Long Beach for the second year in a row. In addition, he also earned invitations to the Team One West Showcase in Phoenix and the Perfect Game World Showcase.
