Dec. 13, 2000
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara baseball team strengthened its program with the addition of six high school standouts who signed national letters of intent during the NCAA's recent early signing period, announced Head Coach Mike Cummins.
Santa Clara's signing class included five players from the state of California and one of the top athletes in the state of Oregon. Tim Brown, a hard-hitting first baseman from Eugene, Oregon, was a first-team all-Midwestern League selection last season as a junior and was also named his league's defensive player of the year. He batted .459 as a junior and went 5-2 as a left-handed pitcher. Brown also broke a pair of single-season records in American Legion action with a .532 batting average and .820 slugging percentage.
Outfielder Ryan Chiarelli and right-handed pitcher Nash Robertson were prep teammates at California High School in San Ramon and will remain together at Santa Clara. Chiarelli was a two-sport athlete, while Robertson doubles as a pitcher and hitter, leading the East Bay Athletic League in home runs and RBI as a junior. The Broncos added two players from Fresno, Calif. Ryan Pierpont was an all-Tri-River league selection in the outfield as a junior, while Bobby Wiginton was named first-team all-Yosemite League and was also a standout football player.
A local product, Chris Russo is a left-handed pitcher from San Jose's Bellarmine College Prep. The freshman of the year in the Central Coast Section in 1998, Russo posted a 6-1 record as a sophomore to lead his team to the Western Catholic Athletic League.
"We are very excited about the potential of this year's class," said Santa Clara Head Coach Mike Cummins. "Each of the players in this year's class have the ability and potential to contribute next year as freshmen and all are very solid on the field and in the classroom. We addressed our major concern of adding some hitting to our program and we signed a couple of good young pitchers. I think this is a class that, down the road, will contribute a great deal to our program."
2000-2001 Santa Clara Baseball Early Signees
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class Hometown / Current School
Tim Brown 1B 6-3 220 Fr-HS Eugene, Ore. / Sheldon
Ryan Chiarelli OF 6-0 175 Fr-HS San Ramon, Calif. / California
Ryan Pierpont OF 6-3 190 Fr-HS Fresno, Calif. / Clovis West
Nash Robertson RHP 6-2 205 Fr-HS San Ramon, Calif. / California
Chris Russo LHP 6-3 195 Fr-HS San Jose, Calif. / Bellarmine Prep
Bobby Wiginton OF 5-11 180 Fr-HS Fresno, Calif. / Bullard
