Baseball Signs Eight in 2021 Recruiting Class

Posted: Nov 11, 2020

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara baseball announced Wednesday the signing of eight prep players to national letters of intent for the 2021 recruiting class.

The balanced class includes two pitchers - Nolan Lopez (Phoenix, Ariz.), Mike Villani (Oceanside, Calif.), four position players – Nick Bacura (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), Thomas Gould (San Carlos, Calif.), Johnny Tarantino (San Jose, Calif.), Malcolm Williams (Lake Oswego, Ore.) along with a pair of two-way players - Quinton Low (Littleton, Colo.) and Sam Smith (Truckee, Calif.), that will join the Broncos in the fall of 2021.

"Our recruiting coordinator Jon Karcich and assistant coach BK Santy worked tirelessly to find and evaluate the best talent in the country," said Broncos head coach Rusty Filter. "They have done an incredible job in identifying the needs of the program and finding the right pieces to fit within our team even during a worldwide pandemic."

The 2021 recruiting class members all hail from the high school ranks encompassing five states with most of their junior seasons either cut short or canceled due to COVID-19.

Nick Bacura, out of Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif. is the No. 8-ranked catching prospect in California according to Prep Baseball Report. He possesses strong leadership qualities with a powerful bat packed in his 5-foot-11 frame.

Thomas Gould is a right-handed hitting infielder who hit .330 during his sophomore campaign at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. That average put him in the top-15 in the competitive West Catholic Athletic League.

The four pitching prospects signed by the Broncos all stand 6-foot-3 or taller with Nolan Lopez coming in at 6-foot-4. The southpaw from Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, Ariz. posted a 1.02 ERA in his sophomore season.

Two-way player Quinton Low brings his 6-foot-5 stature as a right-handed pitcher and can also play the infield hitting from the left side. The Chatfield Senior High product from Littleton, Colo. hit .360 and had a 3.50 ERA during his sophomore season.

Another two-way player Sam Smith tops all incomers standing at 6-foot-6. The right-handed throwing and hitting Smith played at Reno High in Reno, Nev. where he held opponents to a .181 batting average in 17 appearances and also played first base. The dual-sport athlete averaged 4.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game on the hardwood.

Johnny Tarantino from nearby Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, Calif. is a left-handed hitter with a .348/.375/.391 slash line during his sophomore season who projects to play the outfield for the Broncos. Tarantino displayed his athleticism on the gridiron averaging 13.8 yards per catch during the 2019 season.

Right-handed pitcher Mike Villani from El Camino High School in Oceanside, Calif. is expected to bring his powerful arm to the starting rotation. Villani can already touch the low 90's with his fastball and that is expected to go up as he fills out his 6-foot-3 frame. While playing for the West Coast Clippers this summer and the A's scout team, he struck out 24 and allowed just four runs over 21 innings.

Malcolm Williams is another dual-sport athlete from Lake Oswego High School in Lake Oswego, Ore. The 6-foot-2 middle infielder earned second-team all-state recognition in baseball and football. He helped lead the Lakers to the 6A state championship game in football in 2019 while playing safety.

"As we look ahead as a program, I know coach Karcich and Santy have found the best, well-rounded student-athletes for us to be successful on and off the field and I am extremely proud of them," said Filter. "We are also grateful for our director of athletics Renee Baumgartner in her efforts to build the Schott Athletic Excellence Center. The brand new, state of the art AEC is a Division I student-athletes' dream facility which is tremendously helpful in our recruiting efforts. The Bronco Boys can't wait to get to work."

Beginning the week of November 16, the Broncos will highlight one signee per week. The first of those signees is Nick Bacura.