FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE UCLA Baseball September 25, 2008 Contact: Alex Timiraos UCLA BASEBALL WELCOMES SEVEN NEWCOMERS TO WESTWOOD Bruins recruiting class ranked sixth-best in nation by Collegiate Baseball LOS ANGELES UCLA baseball head coach John Savage welcomed seven newcomers to campus Thursday as fall quarter classes began in Westwood. Savage s fourth full recruiting class at UCLA features eight talented players, including one freshman pitcher slated to enroll at UCLA in January 2009. We believe this is a class of players that can make an immediate impact in our program, Savage said. This group is very talented, one that should be as good as any incoming class in the country. Collegiate Baseball has rated this group as the sixth-best recruiting class in the nation. The national baseball newspaper rated UCLA s class higher than any other program s recruiting class in California. Savage and the Bruins welcome three right-handed pitchers Trevor Bauer, Chase Brewer and Gerrit Cole. Bauer and Cole were the only pitchers named to the 2008 Los Angeles Times High School All-Star Team. Cole was selected by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 2008 MLB Draft. Bauer, a senior at Hart High School who intends to graduate in December, has signed a grant-in-aid form to enroll at UCLA in January. Chase Brewer, the younger brother of junior Charles Brewer, posted a 9-1 record en route to leading Chaparral High School (Scottsdale, Ariz.) to the 2008 Arizona Class 4-A Division I state championship as a senior. The recruiting class features three infielders Chris Amezquita, Tyler Rahmatulla and Adrian Williams. Amezquita was selected as a 2007 AFLAC All-America selection, and Rahmatulla earned first-team All-CIF honors in 2008. Williams, a four-year varsity letterwinner, was named an All-Riverside County selection his senior season. Steve Rodriguez, a left-handed-hitting catcher from St. John Bosco High School, earned all-league honors each of four seasons with the varsity team. Alex Weber-Shapiro, an outfielder who spent the last two seasons at Claremont McKenna, twice earned All-America honors at the NCAA Division III level. UCLA Baseball s 2008 Recruiting Class Name Pos. B/T Ht. Wt. Hometown Previous School Chris Amezquita INF R/R 6-2 190 La Mirada, Calif. Servite HS Trevor Bauer RHP R/R 6-1 175 Valencia, Calif. Hart HS Chase Brewer RHP R/R 6-4 190 Paradise Valley, Ariz. Chaparral HS Gerrit Cole RHP R/R 6-3 195 Santa Ana, Calif. Orange Lutheran HS Tyler Rahmatulla INF R/R 5-11 170 Mission Viejo, Calif. Mater Dei HS Steve Rodriguez C L/R 6-1 190 Lomita, Calif. St. John Bosco HS Alex Weber-Shapiro OF L/L 6-3 195 Berkeley, Calif. Claremont McKenna Adrian Williams INF S/R 5-11 170 Moreno Valley, Calif. Canyon Springs HS
2008-09 Newcomers at a Glance Two AFLAC All-America selections (Chris Amezquita, Gerrit Cole) Three L.A. Times High School All-Star Team selections (Trevor Bauer, Gerrit Cole, Tyler Rahmatulla) One MLB draft selection (Gerrit Cole) One NCAA Division III All-America selection (Alex Weber-Shapiro) Chris Amezquita La Mirada, Calif. (Servite) 6-2, 190 R/R Four-year varsity letterwinner at Servite High School under head coaches Todd Cook and Dave Lawn 2007 AFLAC All-American and Sporting News High School All-America Team 2008 preseason All-America selection by Louisville Slugger and Perfect Game Limited playing time as a senior due to injury (2008) Batted.394 with three home runs, 14 doubles, 22 walks as a junior (2007) Tied the school s single-season doubles record (14) with Cleveland Indians first baseman Ryan Garko Posted a 4-2 record and 3.45 ERA in 24.1 innings on the mound as a junior (2007) First-team All-Trinity League honoree as a junior (2007) Batted.300 with two home runs, six doubles and two triples as a sophomore (2006) Second-team All-Serra League honoree as a sophomore (2006) Ranked among top prospects at MLB Scouting Bureau showcase (Compton, Calif.) Listed as a top prospect at a Perfect Game event in Cincinnati and at USA Baseball s Tournament of Stars Milwaukee Brewers Area Code Games selection Trevor Bauer Valencia, Calif. (Hart) 6-1, 175 R/R Two-year varsity letterwinner at Hart High School under head coach Jim Ozella Signed a grant-in-aid form to enroll at UCLA in January 2009; intends to graduate from Hart in December Went 12-0 with a 0.79 ERA and two saves in 70.2 innings as a junior recorded 106 strikeouts and 15 walks Tossed six complete games including four shutouts as a junior (2008) Registered a career-high 16 strikeouts in a 2-0 shutout against West Torrance Helped Hart High School secure the 2008 Foothill League Title and a CIF Southern Section playoff berth First-team All-CIF Southern Section Division I selection as a junior (2008) First-team All-Southern Section honoree by the California Baseball Coaches Association (CBCA) as a junior One of two pitchers named to the 2008 Los Angeles Times High School All-Star Team One of seven pitchers to earn first-team all-state baseball honors from CalHiSports.com Went 4-1 with a 2.07 ERA in 23.2 innings as a sophomore tallied 25 strikeouts and five walks (2007) Promoted from the JV squad to the varsity team midway through his sophomore season Winning pitcher in Hart s CIF Division I postseason win over Newbury Park, allowing one run in six innings Threw 10 shutout innings at Team USA s 18-and-under Tournament of Stars in June 2008 (Cary, N.C.) Invited to compete in Phoenix for a sport on the under-18 U.S. National Team (summer 2008)
Chase Brewer Paradise Valley, Ariz. (Chaparral) 6-4, 190 R/R Two-year varsity baseball letterwinner at Chaparral High School under head coach Jerry Dawson Led Chaparral to the 2008 Arizona Class 4-A State Championship as a senior Recorded a 9-1 record as a senior, posting a 1.24 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 60 innings (2008) Starting pitcher for Chaparral in the 2008 Arizona State Championship game First-team all-region and honorable mention all-state selection as a senior (2008) Competed for the Arizona Firebirds, who won the Connie Mack State Championship Played in the Connie Mack World Series (Farmington, N.M.) Competed in the 2008 FAB 50 All-Star Arizona game at Chase Field (Phoenix) Played for the Arizona Diamondbacks scout team in the fall of 2007 Also played football and basketball at Chaparral; team captain and MVP of basketball team as a junior Brother of UCLA junior right-handed pitcher Charles Brewer Gerrit Cole Santa Ana, Calif. (Orange Lutheran) 6-3, 195 R/R Three-year varsity baseball letterwinner at Orange Lutheran High School under head coach Mike Grahovac Selected in the first round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees (28th overall) Becomes the first high school player drafted in the first round to ever attend UCLA Becomes the first such draft pick to enter college since 2002 (John Mayberry, Jr., played at Stanford) Highest draft selection in 2008 to enroll in college out of high school Rated the top high school prospect in the nation by Perfect Game Crosschecker Listed as the fourth-best high school player in the nation by Baseball America All-USA High School first-team selection by USA Today First-team EA Sports All-America selection, second-team Baseball America honoree in 2008 Selected an AFLAC All-American in 2007 Ranked No. 17 among Baseball America s top-200 pre-draft prospects One of two pitchers named to the 2008 Los Angeles Times High School All-Star Team Went 8-2 with a 0.46 ERA and one save in 75.2 innings; totaled 121 strikeouts and 18 walks as a senior (2008) Pitched in 13 games, making 12 starts registered 10 or more strikeouts in nine games as senior Tossed seven complete games his senior season, including a string of five consecutive complete game victories Batted.310 with seven home runs and 25 RBI his senior season Helped lead Orange Lutheran to the 2008 Trinity League title and an appearance in the CIF-SS quarterfinals Went 3-0 with a 1.21 ERA and two saves in 29 innings; totaled 39 strikeouts and 11 walks as a junior (2007) Second-team All-Trinity League selection as a junior Logged a 1-0 record with 14 strikeouts in 14.0 innings, making one start as a sophomore (2006) Never charged with a loss in each of his first three high school seasons, including on the JV squad (freshman)
Tyler Rahmatulla Mission Viejo, Calif. (Mater Dei) 5-11, 170 R/R Four-year varsity baseball letterwinner at Mater Dei High School under head coach Burt Call First-team All-CIF Division I selection and Trinity League Co-Player of the Year as a junior and senior Three-time Mater Dei team MVP served as team s starting shortstop each season and pitched in relief (closer) Batted.419 as a senior, totaling four home runs, seven doubles, 18 RBI, 13 stolen bases and 24 runs (2008) Batted.351 as a junior, recording three home runs, seven doubles, 26 RBI, 16 stolen bases and 26 runs (2007) First-team All-Trinity League selection and first-team All-Orange County honoree as a junior Batted.340 as a sophomore, logging six home runs, nine doubles, 21 RBI and 22 runs (2006) Named one of the top five sophomores in Orange County by the Orange County Register in 2006 Elevated from the JV squad to varsity team in 2005 (freshman); Mater Dei won the 2005 CIF Division I title Played for the San Gabriel Valley Arsenal in the 2007 World Wood Bat Association Championship (Oct. 2007) Compete for the Babe Ruth Team in the summer of 2007 at the Tournament of Stars (Cary, N.C.) Starting second baseman for the U.S. Junior National Team in the summer of 2006 Batted.448 with three home runs, earning All-Tournament honors for Team USA (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) Compete for the Kansas City Royals scout team (fall of 2005, 2006, 2007) and Angels Elite Scout Team Milwaukee Brewers Area Code Games selection Steve Rodriguez Catcher, Freshman Lomita, Calif. (St. John Bosco) 6-1, 190 L/R Four-year varsity baseball letterwinner at St. John Bosco High School under head coach Moon Cordero Started each of four seasons with the varsity team and earned all-league honors (Serra, Trinity) each spring Batted.329 with nine doubles, one triple, one home run, 12 RBI and 15 runs in 22 games as a senior (2008) Posted a.330 average his junior season as the team s starting catcher and top starting pitcher (2007) Batted.310 on the varsity team as a freshman (2005) Selected to play in the Jesse Flores Memorial All-Star Game Milwaukee Brewers Area Code Games selection also selected to play for the Brewers Elite Team Competed on the RBI Team in USA Baseball s Tournament of Stars (Cary, N.C.) Played on the Boston Red Sox scout team Served as senior class secretary at St. John Bosco and ranked among his senior class top-25, academically
Alex Weber-Shapiro Outfielder, Junior Berkeley, Calif. (Claremont McKenna) 6-3, 195 L/L Two-year letterwinner at Claremont McKenna University under head coach Randy Town Second-team NCAA Division III All-America selection, first-team All-SCIAC honoree as a sophomore (2008) Team highs with a.464 average (65-for-140),.547 on-base percentage and.771 slugging percentage (2008) Totaled eight home runs, 43 RBI, 25 walks and 38 runs as a sophomore (2008) Recorded a school-record 38-game hiting streak, tied for the seventh-best mark in NCAA Division III history Hit safely in final seven games of 2007 and first 31 games of 2008 (.479 avg. in that span with 39 runs, 42 RBI) Third-team ABCA All-America selection as a freshman (2007) Finished second on the team with a.435 average,.473 on-base percentage and.685 slugging percentage (2007) Led Claremont McKenna with 51 RBI and tied for the team lead in doubles with 20 his freshman season (2007) Only freshman selected to any of the three All-America teams Only freshman to earn first-team ABCA All-West Region accolades Four-year varsity letterwinner at Head Royce High School (Oakland, Calif.) Adrian Williams Moreno Valley, Calif. (Canyon Springs) 5-11, 170 S/R Four-year varsity letterwinner at Canyon Springs High School under head coach Darious Carter Batted.407 in 24 games, totaling 33 hits and 27 runs as a senior (2008) Invited to play in the Riverside County All-Star Game in June 2008, representing the East All-Stars Second-team All-Riverside county Team selection as a senior (2008) Batted.329 in 27 games, recording 23 hits, 30 runs and nine stolen bases as a junior (2007) Invited to participate in the U.S. Under-18 Team tryouts in Cary, N.C. Batted. 323 in 24 games, logging 21 hits, 11 runs and a.389 on-base percentage as a sophomore (2006) Batted.275 in 21 games, totaling 11 hits, 10 runs and six RBI as a freshman (2005) ####