Nov. 20, 2014
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - San Diego State baseball Head Coach Mark Martinez has announced the signing of eight athletes for the 2016 season. The group of eight incoming freshmen includes four pitchers, three infielders and a catcher.
"First off, I want to thank our recruiting coordinator, Joe Oliveira, for his hard work," said Martinez. "He did a great job putting together a great class, which we feel is one of the best in the country. Needless to say, we are really excited about this recruiting class. I feel that we not only identified them as elite level players but as high character kids that fit the mold of our program. We have no doubt that they will each make a positive impact in our program as soon as they step on campus."
Imani Abdullah is a 6-5 right-handed pitcher form Madison high school in San Diego. As a junior during the 2014 season he compiled 55 innings while striking out 42 batters and holding opposing hitters to a .227 average. His performance earned him All-Western league honors and he was selected to pitch in the 2014 New Balance Area Code Games alongside fellow signee Niko Navarro. Abdullah was also chosen to compete for the Padres scout team this fall. Imani is rated as the 29th best RHP in the state of California.
"Imani has barely scratched the surface of his potential," noted Coach Martinez. "He made a name for himself this summer and performed well at some major events. He is a local kid that we are excited to keep close to home and watch him develop in our program. He is an intelligent kid that gets better each time we see him pitch. He will definitely help us right away."
The Aztecs also signed 6-3 right-handed pitcher Chris Collins form Notre Dame High school in Sherman Oaks, Calif. As a junior, Collins struck out 35 batters in 32 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .187 batting average. He was also named to the all-academic team for his league. He helped pitch his travel team, GBG Marucci, to the Perfect Game/Evoshield National Championship earlier this fall.
"Chris really exploded on to the scene this summer and was highly recruited," said Martinez. "He is a hard working kid and a good student. He has the stuff to compete for major innings as a freshman. He hasn't even come close to tapping his potential so we're excited to see him grow in our program under Coach Pawlowski."
SDSU also added another right-handed pitcher in 6-7 Jeff Kross from Upland (Calif.) High School. Kross is a four-year letterwinner and was an All-League performer last spring. He is rated as the No. 24 best RHP in the state of California by Perfect Game. He also plays with fellow signees Niko Navarro and David Maldonado for CBA Marucci in the summer/fall. He also helped lead their team to 2 national championships.
"Jeff is a physical kid with a huge upside," commented Martinez. "His arm works really well and the ball jumps out of his hand. He is another very intelligent, hard-working kid. He is just now starting to scratch the surface of his potential. We are excited to get him into our program and have him help us right away as a freshman."
David Maldonado (Temecula Valley HS) is the No. 2 rated middle infielder in the state of California and the No. 7-rated middle infielder in the country by Perfect Game. He has earned himself all-league honors each of the past two seasons while compiling a .361 career average. Half of his hits (15 doubles, 2 home runs) went for extra bases last season. He competes for CBA Marucci during the summer/fall and also helped lead them to 2 separate national championships. Maldonado was also chosen to compete for the Yankees scout team this past fall.
"David is another high character, hard-working kid that can really hit. He has some serious bat speed, especially for his size. He can play any infield or outfield position so we will take advantage of his versatility to get his bat in the line-up."
Niko Navarro is the No. 3-rated third baseman in the state of California and the No. 13-rated third baseman in the country. He is a 4-year letter winner for Los Osos HS in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and has helped lead them to the playoffs the past 2 years, earning All-League honors and being named team MVP along the way. Navarro has also been named an Underclass All-American the past two years and participated in the 2014 New Balance Area Code Games this past summer. He has also led his travel team, CBA Marucci, to a pair National Championships and was also selected to compete for the Red Sox scout team this fall. Navarro was also selected to Team Southern California in 2012 and 2013 for the USA Baseball National Team Identification Series in Cary, North Carolina.
"We have had a long relationship with Niko," noted Martinez. "We recognized very early that he was a special talent. He's an athletic, left-handed hitting infielder that can really swing it. He is regarded as one of the best players in the country. He is also a high character kid that fits the culture of our program."
The Aztecs also inked a catcher in 6-0 Dean Nevarez from Eastlake high school in Chula Vista, Calif., where he was an All-League performer and team MVP. He led the team in batting average (.405), home runs (5) and RBI's (25). Nevarez is an elite level defensive catcher with a strong arm and he was selected to compete for the Rays scout team this fall.
"Dean is a physical catcher with 5 legitimate tools," commented Martinez. "We were lucky enough to identify him as a prospect early and keep him close to home. He is an extremely intelligent kid and is a natural born leader. His teammates gravitate towards him because he is constantly working hard and playing the game the right way."
The third infielder in the recruiting class is 6-2 Jordan Verdon from Granite Hills High School in El Cajon, Calif. Verdon is a .343 career hitter having compiled 99 hits, 19 doubles and 41 RBI's along the way. He was named to the All-Grossmont Hills League team the past 2 seasons. Verdon also led his team to the San Diego Open Division CIF Championship last season and was chosen to play for the Royals scout team last fall.
"Jordan is a local player, who plays for SDSU baseball alum James Davis," commented Martinez." He is an advanced hitter from the left side with huge power potential. He can play multiple spots on the infield at a high level. He is also a very bright kid with a 4.4 GPA."
The final signee for 2016 is 6-2 right-handed pitcher Jonas Wyatt from Quartz Hill HS in Lancaster, CA. Wyatt missed his junior season due to injury, but fully recovered in time to have a great summer and fall. He competed in the Junior Olympics for the So Cal Bombers and was named one of the top 35 players in the entire tournament.
"Jonas has a live arm and stuff to compete for us right away," noted Martinez. "He has really made some strides over the past year and has a huge upside on his fastball that already sits in the low 90's. He is another high character kid that really competes."
The Aztecs are currently winding up their fall practice season and will conclude with the annual Red-Black World Series this weekend at Tony Gwynn Stadium. San Diego State will open its 2015 season on Friday, Feb. 13, at 6:00 p.m. when it hosts Valparaiso at Tony Gwynn Stadium.