FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE UCLA Baseball November 13, 2008 Contact: Alex Timiraos UCLA BASEBALL SIGNS NINE STANDOUTS TO NATIONAL LETTERS OF INTENT Bruins receive commitments for 2009-10 from nine talented high school seniors LOS ANGELES UCLA head baseball coach John Savage has announced that nine high school seniors have signed National Letters of Intent during the early signing period to attend UCLA and play baseball. Aided by assistant coaches Rick Vanderhook and Steve Pearse, the fifth recruiting class under Savage includes six position players, one pitcher and one two-way player. The Bruins recruiting class is highlighted by three AFLAC All-Americans right-handed pitcher Scott Griggs, infielder David Nick and catcher Max Stassi. The nine talented high school ballplayers will enroll at UCLA in the fall of 2009. Our coaching staff did an outstanding job putting this class together, Savage said. Coach Vanderhook and Coach Pearse worked extremely hard over the last several months. We feel that we have several impact position players that will have great careers at UCLA. Additionally, current high school senior Trevor Bauer, a right-handed pitcher at Hart High School, has signed a grant-in-aid to enroll at UCLA in January 2009. Bauer will graduate from Hart High School in December before joining the Bruins for the 2009 season. Savage s first four recruiting classes at UCLA earned high national rankings. His first two recruiting classes were ranked No. 5 and No. 13, respectively, by Baseball America. Each of the Bruins last two groups have been tabbed the No. 7 classes in the nation by Baseball America. UCLA BASEBALL SIGNEES (2009) Name Position B/T Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Trevor Brown UTL R/R 6-2 170 Valencia, Calif. (Hart HS) Jeff Gelalich OF L/R 6-1 180 La Verne, Calif. (Bonita HS) Scott Griggs RHP R/R 6-2 185 Alamo, Calif. (San Ramon Valley HS) Dennis Holt OF/LHP L/L 6-2 180 Yorba Linda, Calif. (Esperanza HS) Cody Keefer OF L/R 6-1 185 Davis, Calif. (Davis Senior HS) David Nick INF R/R 6-2 180 Cypress, Calif. (Cypress HS) Cody Regis INF L/R 6-2 200 Glendora, Calif. (Glendora HS) Max Stassi C R/R 5-10 185 Yuba City, Calif. (Yuba City HS) Trayce Thompson OF R/R 6-4 200 Ladera Ranch, Calif. (Santa Margarita HS)
Trevor Brown Valencia, Calif. (Hart HS) UTL 6-2, 170 R/R Two-year varsity letterwinner at Hart High School under head coach Jim Ozella Batted.343 in 29 games as a junior, totaling one triple, three doubles, 14 RBI and 17 runs Earned second-team All-Foothill League honors as a junior (2008) Helped lead Hart to a 23-7 record, including a 14-1 mark and first-place finish in the Foothill League in 2008 Batted.267 in six games as a sophomore on the varsity team, scoring six runs Was a teammate of incoming freshman Trevor Bauer at Hart High School the past two seasons Head Coach John Savage: Trevor is a very versatile athlete who can do a lot on the baseball field. He can catch, in addition to playing infield and outfield. Trevor comes from a great high school program and should come into our program prepared. Jeff Gelalich La Verne, Calif. (Bonita HS) OF 6-1, 180 L/R Three-year varsity letterwinner at Bonita High School under head coach John Knott Batted.423 as a junior, compiling two triples, 11 doubles, 18 RBI and 17 runs in 25 games Batted.393 as a sophomore, totaling four home runs, two triples, nine doubles, 22 RBI and 22 runs in 26 games Batted.258 as a freshman, logging five RBI in 18 games on the varsity team Also plays football at Bonita High School as a linebacker on the varsity squad Head Coach John Savage: Jeff is a smooth outfielder who has all the tools to be a very good college player. He s a left-handed hitter that combines speed and power. We look for Jeff to be an immediate impact player at UCLA. Scott Griggs Alamo, Calif. (San Ramon Valley HS) RHP 6-2, 185 R/R Two-year varsity letterwinner at San Ramon Valley High School under head coach Chris declercq Was an AFLAC All-America selection in 2008 Ranked No. 11 in Baseball America s list of top-100 high school prospects Registered a 1.19 ERA and 1-1 record as a junior, compiling 16 strikeouts in 11.2 innings Selected to play in the 2008 USA Baseball Tournament of the Stars Logged a 3.28 ERA as a sophomore, totaling 52 strikeouts in 49.0 innings Voted Most Outstanding Pitcher in the 2007 Bay Area World Series Earned MVP honors at the 2006 15U USSSA State Championship after tossing a no-hitter Head Coach John Savage: Scott has one of the best arms in the country. He really started separating himself from the rest of the right-handers in the last several months. He s a very physical pitcher who has to have power stuff as a freshman.
Dennis Holt Yorba Linda, Calif. (Esperanza HS) OF/LHP 6-2, 180 L/L Two-year varsity letterwinner at Esperanza High School under head coach Mike Curran Named one of top five juniors to watch in March 2008 by the Orange County Register Batted.294 as a junior, recording two home runs, two doubles, 12 RBI and 15 runs in 26 games Compiled a 4.06 ERA and 2-3 record on the mound, totaling 14 strikeouts in 20.2 innings as a junior (2008) Batted.338 as a sophomore, tallying four home runs, one triple, six doubles, 12 RBI and 21 runs in 29 games Registered a 2.25 ERA and 0-1 record in 9.1 innings as a sophomore (2007) Earned second-team All-Sunset League honors as an outfielder his sophomore season (2007) Head Coach John Savage: Dennis is a very good athlete who will help us both in the outfield as well as on the mound. He also comes from a very good program and plays in one of the most competitive leagues in Southern California. Cody Keefer Davis, Calif. (Davis Senior HS) OF 6-1, 185 L/R Two-year varsity letterwinner at Davis Senior High School under head coach Dan Ariola Batted.492 as a junior, totaling two home runs, five triples, five doubles, 16 RBI and 20 runs in 20 games Batted.366 as a sophomore, registering three home runs, 10 doulbes, 27 RBI and 32 runs in 31 games Had two hits in the 39th annual North-South Series at Santa Clara University (played on North Team roster) Selected to play on the Colorado Rockies scout team in the fall of 2008 Helped lead Davis to a 23-9 record as a sophomore (2007), including an 11-4 mark in league play Earned all-league honors as a football player (linebacker) his junior season; chose not to play football as a senior Head Coach John Savage: We feel Cody is one of the best hitters coming out of high school in California in this class. He also combines speed with power and has shown the ability to hit all types of pitching. With his ability, we look for Cody to come into UCLA and contribute right away as a left-handed hitter.
David Nick Cypress, Calif. (Cypress HS) INF 6-2, 180 R/R Three-year varsity letterwinner at Cypress High School under head coach John Weber Was an AFLAC All-America selection in 2008 Ranked No. 46 in Baseball America s list of top-100 high school prospects Competed on the 2008 USA Baseball 18U Team Batted.453 with 48 hits, including six home runs and 38 RBI as a junior Helped lead Cypress High School to a CIF Division II runner-up finish in 2008 Earned first-team All-Empire League honors as a junior and sophomore Captured second-team All-CIF Division II accolades as a junior and sophomore Batted.358 with 34 hits, including three home runs, 30 RBI and 13 stolen bases as a sophomore (2007) Participated in the 2007 AFLAC Perfect Game Showcase Named one of five sophomores to watch by the Orange County Register in 2007 Batted.288 with 23 hits, including one home run, 16 RBI and 12 stolen bases as a freshman (2006) Helped lead the Orange County Stallions Traveling Team to three national championships (2000, 2001, 2005) Head Coach John Savage: David is one of the best high school position players in Southern California. He has tremendous make-up and will be able to play at a high level. David is an accomplished hitter who can defend in the middle of the infield. Cody Regis Glendora, Calif. (Glendora HS) INF 6-2, 200 L/R Two-year varsity letterwinner at Glendora High School under head coach Dan Henley Batted.342 as a junior, totaling one home run, seven doubles, 22 RBI and 17 runs in 24 games Earned first-team All-Sierra League honors as a junior (2008) Played in the 2008 Kiko Garcia Sports Training All-Star Game (top underclassmen in San Gabriel Valley) Batted.403 as a sophomore, recording three doubles, 13 RBI and 16 runs in 25 games Head Coach John Savage: Cody is a solid player who has the ability to use the entire field to hit. He has great hand-eye coordination and will be another one of the talented left-handed hitters we are bringing into this class.
Max Stassi Yuba City, Calif. (Yuba City HS) C 5-10, 185 R/R Three-year varsity letterwinner at Yuba City High School under head coach Jim Stassi Was a 2008 AFLAC All-America selection and Under Armour All-America selection Ranked No. 15 in Baseball America s list of top-100 high school prospects Batted.471 with 15 home runs as a junior, totaling 45 RBI, 41 runs, two triples and nine doubles in 32 games Named Sacramento Bee Player of the Year in 2008 as a junior Earned all-league most valuable player honors in 2006 and 2008 Captured All-Metro League honors each of three seasons at Yuba City High School Helped lead Yuba City to back-to-back Sac-Joaquin Section Division III titles (2006, 2007) Batted.461 as a sophomore, totaling five homers, five triples, 11 doubles, 35 RBI and 47 runs in 30 games Competed for the USA Youth National Team in 2006 and 2007, serving as team captain in 2007 Helped lead Yuba City to a 30-1 overall record, including a 14-1 league mark, as a sophomore (2007) Established three school records as a freshman (.580 average, nine home runs, 44 RBI) Batted.580 as a freshman, collecting nine home runs, two triples, 12 doubles, 44 RBI and 32 runs Earned first-team all-state honors as a freshman in 2006 Head Coach John Savage: Max has been the top player in our state the past two years. He has had a remarkable high school career, having been named the MVP and most importantly two winning championships for his Yuba City High School team. Max comes from a great baseball background and has a chance to be one of the top recruits ever to come to Westwood. He has all the tools to be a great player at UCLA. Trayce Thompson Ladera Ranch, Calif. (Santa Margarita HS) OF 6-4, 200 R/R Two-year varsity letterwinner at Santa Margarita High School under head coach Kris Jondle Batted.233 in 17 games as a junior, totaling two homers, one triple, five doubles and eight runs Batted.238 in 16 games as a sophomore, logging four RBI and two runs in 21 at-bats Has also excelled as a basketball player at Santa Margarita High School As a junior, helped lead Santa Margarita s basketball team to a 30-5 record (2007-08) Has two older brothers playing basketball at Pepperdine (Mychel) and Washington State (Klay) Head Coach John Savage: Trayce is one of the best athletes in Southern California. Most of his accomplishments have been on the basketball court. However, he has made tremendous strides over the summer and continues to elevate his game as a baseball player. Trayce has a great future at UCLA, and his potential is unlimited. ####