Cal Poly Baseball Announces 10-Player Recruiting Class for 2023
11/10/2021 4:02:00 PM | Baseball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly head coach Larry Lee's 20th recruiting class, announced Wednesday on National Letter of Intent Signing Day for all sports except football, features five pitchers, three infielders and a pair of outfielders.
Eight are from high schools throughout California while the other two are community college transfers. All will begin play at Cal Poly in the spring of 2023.
"This year's initial recruiting class is solid, with an emphasis on pitching and a mix of position players," said Lee. "As always, we hope that a number of these players will be ready to compete for playing time immediately."
The signing period for most sports, including baseball, runs through August 1. Basketball's early period ends Nov. 17, with the regular signing period slated for April 13 through May 18. Football's early signing period is Dec. 15-17 (midyear JC transfers Dec. 15-Jan. 15) with the regular period set for Feb. 2 through April 1.
The Mustangs finished tied for fourth with CSUN and UC San Diego in the Big West a year ago, all with 21-19 marks, and 31-25 overall, winning their final seven games and 11 of 12. The Mustangs finished in the top four in the Big West for the 16th time in the last 18 years (not counting the pandemic-shortened 2020 season).
The Class of 2023 recruits, listed alphabetically.
Eight are from high schools throughout California while the other two are community college transfers. All will begin play at Cal Poly in the spring of 2023.
"This year's initial recruiting class is solid, with an emphasis on pitching and a mix of position players," said Lee. "As always, we hope that a number of these players will be ready to compete for playing time immediately."
The signing period for most sports, including baseball, runs through August 1. Basketball's early period ends Nov. 17, with the regular signing period slated for April 13 through May 18. Football's early signing period is Dec. 15-17 (midyear JC transfers Dec. 15-Jan. 15) with the regular period set for Feb. 2 through April 1.
The Mustangs finished tied for fourth with CSUN and UC San Diego in the Big West a year ago, all with 21-19 marks, and 31-25 overall, winning their final seven games and 11 of 12. The Mustangs finished in the top four in the Big West for the 16th time in the last 18 years (not counting the pandemic-shortened 2020 season).
The Class of 2023 recruits, listed alphabetically.
Ryan Baum, Right-Handed Pitcher, 6-3, 190, L/R,
In his first season at College of San Mateo last spring, Baum posted a 3-2 mark and 1.59 ERA with 32 strikeouts and only two walks over 22 2/3 innings under head coach Doug Williams. San Mateo was 11-9 in an abbreviated 2021 season. He did not play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Baum is a 2019 graduate of Los Altos High School, where he struck out 115 batters and walked just 28 over 160 innings under head coach Gabriel Stewart in his prep career. He was 8-4 with a 1.19 ERA as a senior in 2019 and 4-3 with a 1.76 ERA as a junior in 2018. His career highs for strikeouts are 11 versus Cupertino and 10 more against Saratoga. An outfielder when not pitching, Baum also hit .329 in 86 varsity games over three seasons for the Eagles with 13 doubles, three triples and 49 RBIs. He hit .347 with 10 multiple-hit games as a senior and .343 as a junior. Baum twice earned all-league honors and was a first-team all-county selection as a senior. He led the Eagles to a 22-6 overall mark and second-place DeAnza League finish in 2019 and an 18-14 record and CIF-Central Coast Section Division I title in 2018. Also recruited by Saint Mary's, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine, Baum chose Cal Poly "because of the program's commitment to player development and winning. I felt right at home when I visited campus and feel that I will have all the opportunities for success. The school has a great business department with great concentrations for me. The town of San Luis Obispo is a perfect fit for me being that it is not crowded and is a college town." |
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Kemet Brown, Infielder, 5-9, 160, S/R,
Brown will play one more season at Delta College before transferring to Cal Poly. As a freshman a year ago, he hit .216 with one double and one RBI. The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Brown is a 2019 graduate of Elk Grove High School. As a shortstop under head coach Joe Bellotti, Brown hit .286 in three varsity seasons with six doubles, two triples, 30 RBIs and 28 steals. He hit .267 as a senior, .287 as a junior and .302 as a sophomore. The Thundering Herd was 13-17 in 2019, 19-7-2 in 2018 and 23-10 en route to a CIF-Sac-Joaquin Section title in 2017. Brown was a two-time team defensive player of the year, received Area Code invitations in 2018 and 2019 and 2017 and 2018 Perfect Game preseason underclassmen All-American honorable mention. He received offers from San Jose State, San Diego and Pacific and also was recruited by Fresno State and Cal State Fullerton, choosing Cal Poly "because of the reputation of high standards academically and athletically. It's a tradition-rich program that will prepare me for life after college." |
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Evan Cloyd, Infielder, 6-1, 210, R/R,
In three varsity seasons under head coach Mark Ratekin at Bakersfield Christian High School, Cloyd has compiled a .429 career batting average with 25 doubles, three triples, one home run, 70 RBIs and nine steals. As a first baseman and third baseman, he hit .500 with 13 doubles, three triples and a home run in 30 games as a junior with 15 multiple-hit games, leading the Eagles to a 22-9 record. He earned first-team all-league and first-team All-Area honors. Cloyd hit .269 in eight games as a sophomore (the season was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic) and .408 in 26 games as a freshman with 11 doubles and 24 RBIs. Cloyd also is a defensive tackle on the Eagles' football team, garnering 45 tackles in eight games so far as a senior. Also recruited by Santa Clara, UC Davis and UC San Diego, Cloyd chose Cal Poly "because of Coach Larry Lee. He is the best hitting coach in college baseball and I would love to develop with him as my coach." |
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Holden Garcia, Right-Handed Pitcher, 6-2, 215, R/R,
As a junior under head coach Brad Showers, Garcia compiled a 5-2 record and 3.05 ERA in nine appearances on the mound with four complete games and 50 strikeouts over 43 2/3 innings. He struck out nine in a 15-0 win over Bakersfield and twice struck out eight batters. Garcia also was an outfielder when not pitching, hitting .324 with four home runs and eight RBIs. The Mustangs were 13-5 overall in 2021 and 11-4 for first place in the Southwest Yosemite League. In 12 games as a freshman in 2019, Garcia was 2-2 with a 5.25 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 26 2/3 innings. No baseball was played in his sophomore season (2020) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "I chose Cal Poly because of the area, the academics and the superiority of their baseball program and facilities." |
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Wyatt King, Outfielder, 5-9, 185, R/R,
Under head coach Matt Maguire at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, King hit .253 in 26 games during his junior season last spring with four doubles, two home runs, 13 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. He produced four multiple-hit games and helped the Lancers to a 16-12 overall mark. He was a preseason Underclass All-American, a WWBA Champion, a WWBA All-Tournament Team selection and earned a High School Gold Glove Award. King also played football for the Lancers as a wide receiver and defensive back. Also recruited by Fresno State, Santa Clara, San Diego and UC Santa Barbara, King elected to continue his athletic and academic careers at Cal Poly because "I love everything about the school, the location, coaches and the academics. Those are the biggest reasons why I decided Cal Poly was the right place for me." |
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Troy McCain, Outfielder, 6-0, 185, R/R,
McCain played varsity baseball at Ayala High School in Chino Hills as a sophomore and junior before transferring to Corona for his senior season. As a junior, the outfielder hit .425 in 29 games with 11 doubles, seven home runs and 29 RBIs with nine steals and 12 multiple-hit games at the plate. Ayala was 26-4 last spring and won the Palomares League title with a 14-1 mark. McCain earned first-team all-league and All-CIF-Southern Section honors. In the 2020 season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, McCain hit .379 in nine games with four doubles and a triple, driving in 10 runs for the Bulldogs. McCain also played for the Baseball Performance Academy travel team which claimed the Underclass Fall National Championship. Current Mustangs Brooks Lee and Chase Walter also attended the Baseball Performance Academy. "Since the first time I visited SLO, I kind of had that feeling that this was where I wanted to play my college baseball. Once I got my offer, I knew Cal Poly was where I wanted to be." |
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Aaron Rettew, Right-Handed Pitcher, 6-1, 170, R/R,
A student at Dana Hills High School, Rettew has played baseball for the Baseball Performance Academy in Riverside and San Diego as well as for Lake Point Sports in Emerson, Georgia. In Perfect Game events, Rettew was 0-1 with 11 saves and a 0.90 ERA, striking out 49 batters over 41 innings. He played for a top-10 ranked national team and on the top-seeded 2020 WWBA team. Rettew was named to five all-tournament teams. He is a second-degree black belt and an academic honor roll student with a 4.4 grade-point average. Rettew chose Cal Poly over Xavier, UCLA and Columbia "for its renowned academics, positive and prospering culture, outstanding location and a great baseball program that allows for development and success." |
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Freddy Rodriguez, Right-Handed Pitcher, 6-3, 188, R/R,
Under head coach Robert Martinez at River City High School in West Sacramento, Rodriguez not only excelled on the mound with a 9-2 record and 1.75 ERA, striking out 75 batters over 48 innings, he also hit .532 with 14 doubles, a triple, three home runs and 43 RBIs in 23 games. He produced 14 multiple-hit games, struck out just six times in 92 plate appearances and stole 11 of 13 bases en route to All-Metro and all-league honors. The Raiders posted an 18-5 record and finished third in the Metro Conference. Rodriguez struck out 14 in a five-inning 11-0 win over Monterey Trail and 13 more in a 9-1 triumph against Antelope. Rodriguez played third base and shortstop when not on the mound. Rodriguez hit .353 in six games in 2020 before the season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a freshman, Rodriguez hit .342 in 23 games with five doubles, one triple and 13 RBIs, striking out seven times in 89 plate appearances and stealing seven bases. On the mound he was 1-1 and struck out 19 in 10 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run. The career totals for Rodriguez entering his senior season are a .429 batting average (75-for-175) with 21 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 61 RBIs in 52 games and, on the mound, 10-3 with a 1.64 ERA and 104 strikeouts over 64 innings. He also played basketball as a freshman. Recruited by several Division I programs in California along with Xavier, Rodriguez chose Cal Poly "because of the relationship I built with the coaching staff. While on my visit, I felt at home and couldn't wait to make an impact in the program." |
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Charlie Royle, Right-Handed Pitcher, 6-0, 150, R/R,
Royle enters his senior season under head coach Andy Hall at Long Beach Wilson with a 7-3 career win-loss record and 2.23 ERA. He has struck out 75 batters over 94 innings in three varsity seasons and his career high is 11 strikeouts over six innings in a 5-4 win over Lakewood as a junior last spring. He was 6-2 with a 2.01 ERA last spring with 61 strikeouts and just 12 walks over 63 2/3 innings, earning pitcher of the year and MVP honors on his team. He was a first-team All-Moore League selection and earned CIF-Southern Section academic honors. Royle played in the infield when not pitching. Wilson was 10-16 last spring and finished fourth in the Moore League. Also recruited by San Jose State and Loyola Marymount, Royle chose Cal Poly for "its great program with coaches and players that seem down to earth and want to win. Cal Poly has a great academic reputation and beautiful campus. All in all, it just felt like home." |
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Charlie Welch, Infielder, 5-10, 165, R/R,
Welch hit .457 in 20 games under head coach Mike Firenzi at Redwood High School last spring, knocking in eight runs with five doubles and 14 steals. A second baseman and shortstop, he produced 11 multiple-hit games, including a 4-for-4 day against Novato, all singles. Welch was named to the All-Marin County League first team as a junior and was team MVP as a sophomore. The Giants were 14-6 last spring and finished second in the Marin County League. Welch chose to further his academic and athletic careers at Cal Poly because "it is my dream school and I want to be rivals against my brother." Nicholas Welch is a redshirt freshman pitcher at UC Santa Barbara. |
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Players Mentioned
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