SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara baseball announced the third member of its incoming recruiting class for the 2017-18 season, Tyson Coleman. The infielder currently attends Benson High School in Benson, Arizona.
"I chose Santa Clara University because I believe that the coaches and the baseball program can help me achieve the goals I have as a baseball player," Coleman said. "I really enjoy the coaches and I felt like I made a good connection with them. The baseball facilities and the level of competition that Santa Clara faces are top notch."
Coleman plans on majoring in business at Santa Clara making the most of what the Bay Area has to offer.
"Coming from a small town in Arizona, I have always wanted to experience California," Coleman said. "I like that the university is in the Silicon Valley and the potential opportunities that come with being in that area of the country."
Like his future teammate Anthony Boetto, Coleman also comes from an athletic family. His uncle pitched in the Cleveland Indians' minor league system; his cousin was a triple jumper at Pacific Lutheran and his other uncle played collegiate football. His father, Billy Coleman, wrestled and played football at Pima Community College as well.
Coleman is an all-around athlete that plays year-round sports for Benson, competing for the football team in the fall, basketball team in the winter and baseball team in the spring. Coleman is a quality defensive back for Benson as he earned All-State in honors in football for the 2016 season.
On the diamond, Coleman earned All-Southern Arizona Future All-Stars honors and all-conference accolades. He posted a .465 batting average as well as a .718 slugging and .536 on-base percentages for his junior season.
"Tyson is an extremely good athlete that is going to have a major impact on our team very early on," associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Gabe Ribas. "He can do so many dynamic things on the field, from defend at multiple positions, to hit for both power and average, and really run the bases. Being from a small town, Tyson was a bit under the radar, but as soon as we saw him play, the coaching staff knew that this was the kind of guy who would flourish as a Bronco."
The 6-3, 180-pound infielder has helped lead his baseball team to the state tournament in two of his three seasons. He was an honorable mention on the Rawlings Perfect Game 2016 Underclassmen Pre-season All-American team and he was named to the Perfect Game 2016 17u Perfect Game World Series All-Tournament Team. In that competition, Coleman posted a batting average of .500, on-base percentage of .533 and a slugging percentage of .786.
"If we can keep Tyson away from the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft in June, then we are going to see a really special baseball player here on the Mission Campus," Ribas said.
Our next future Bronco, Cory Moore, will be announced on Dec. 5.
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