Dons Baseball Sends Five More to the Next Level
Five more Dons from the 2017 baseball season have announced their recent commitments to four-year schools.
SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Santa Ana College Baseball program continues to show that it is a legitimate pipeline for four-year universities, as 5 more Dons have recently announced their commitments.
Dons starting catcher Bobby Vasquez has committed to Hope International University. Vasquez played in 41 of the Dons 46 games. He hit .220 with 11 runs batted in while guiding the Dons pitching staff to one of the lowest team earned run averages in the state.
After playing in 30 games and hitting .240 with 13 runs and RBI's in the 2017 season, Chris Major has committed to Marymount California University. Major spent two years with the Dons, playing primarily at first base and designated hitter to provide a quality bat in the lineup.
Josh Ludeman will head to Biola Univesity after spending a year in the Dons bullpen. Ludeman appeared in 18 games during the 2017 season, collecting 25 strikeouts and posting an earned run average of 3.67.
Third baseman Justin Mellano will continue his education and baseball career at California State University San Marcos. Mellano was a consistent presence for the Dons during the 2017 season, playing in 45 games while batting .294. He also added 32 runs batted in with 22 runs scored and five stolen bases.
And outfielder Thomas Blood has chosen Avila University. Blood played in 19 games for the Dons during 2017, hitting .200 even while driving in five and scoring four runs. Blood ends his Dons career with an overall batting average of .367 and 22 hits in 60 at bats.
Lastly, Guillermo Sanchez has announced that he has de-committed from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and will stay close to home by committing to attend California State University Long Beach. Sanchez went 7-3 in 2017 with 79 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.32.
With these recent commitments, the Dons baseball program now has 10 total student-athletes from the 2017 team transferring to four-year schools.
2017 Santa Ana College Baseball 4 Year Transfers:
Bobby Vasquez – Hope International University
Chris Major – Marymount California University
Derek Reilly – Houston Baptist University
Guillermo Sanchez – California State University Long Beach
Josh Ludeman – Biola University
Julio Rivera – Vanguard University
Justin Mellano – California State University San Marcos
Keaton Freire – Wagner University
Nigel Ward – University of San Diego
Thomas Blood – Avila University
