Long Beach State University Athletics
Dirtbags ink nine in early signing period
11/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 18, 2010
Long Beach, Calif. - Head baseball coach Troy Buckley has announced the signing of nine players to National Letters of Intent for the 2011-2012 school year. The nine players have signed during the early period, and will have another year of competition before coming to The Beach.
"This recruiting class fills our immediate needs for the 2012 season," said Buckley. "We're very excited to have these players joining our program; they'll bring solid fundamental skills as well as an increase in our athleticism. We've identified these recruits as solid baseball players and they all have a strong desire to be a part of this program. This class really adds to the young talent pool we've already brought into the program."
Long Beach State has received commitments from five position players and four pitchers in the class, and has a split between three junior college products and six high school players.
The Dirtbags picked up a pair of strong first-base/outfield candidates in Daniel Arellano and Zack Belanger. Arellano is a good defensive first-base prospect out of Centennial High School in Corona, Calif., where he earned First-Team All-Big-VIII honors as a junior, and has great potential as a hitter. Meanwhile, Belanger (Stanton, Calif.) is the brother of Second-Team All-Big West outfielder CJ Belanger of Cal State Northridge, and is primarily an outfielder, but can also play first base. A big, projectable high schooler, Belanger was the MVP of the Empire League in 2009 as a junior.
The most-highly touted high school prospect of the class is Josh Guerra,a center-fielder from Downey High School who was rated the No. 142 prospect in the country by Prospectwire.com. The San Gabriel League MVP as a junior, Guerra (Downey, Calif.) participated in this summer's Junior Olympic Trials in Cary, N.C. The son of Al Guerra, an original Dirtbag that played on the 1989 College World Series team, Guerra is a solid all-around player, with above-average speed among other tools.
Long Beach State has signed one infield prospect in Chaz Meadows, a shortstop out of Clayton Valley High School. Meadows showcases a good arm and good bat speed, and has as much upside as nearly any player in this signing class.
The final position player in the group is Dublin High School's Scott Mitchell. A catcher that has a good feel behind the plate for both receiving and blocking, Mitchell (Dublin, Calif.) can play multiple positions, and his hitting ability and character could allow him to break into the lineup in a number of other positions as well as catcher.
Among pitchers, the Dirtbags have tabbed three junior college pitchers and one high school standout, and split them down the middle with two right-handers and two lefties. The first, Matt Anderson, after spending last season as a third baseman at Chaffey CC, is taking advantage of a very strong arm and physical presence to transition to a pitcher, but his upside is extremely high.
The 49ers are also looking at another power pitcher in Chabot CC's Mike Botelho. Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 42nd round of the MLB draft, Botelho has one of the top arms in Northern California, and a good, physical frame that complements a live fastball. Landon Hunt is the final junior college. A left-hander out of Moorpark College, Hunt (Moorpark, Calif.) made nine starts for the Raiders and posted a 5.01 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 64.2 innings pitched.
The lone high school pitcher in the class is Nick Sabo. Also a water polo player, Sabo (Spring Valley, Calif.) posted a 5-4 record with a 3.31 ERA and had 59 strikeouts over 59 innings at Monte Vista HS.
The Dirtbags will have another signing period to potentially add players to this recruiting class coming in the spring.
| 2010 EARLY RECRUITING CLASS | |||||
| NAME | POS | Hometown | Last School | Yr. | HT, WT |
| Matt Anderson | RHP | Claremont, Calif. | Chaffey CC | Jr. | 6-2, 200 |
| Daniel Arellano | 1B/OF | Corona, Calif. | Centennial HS | Fr. | 6-2, 200 |
| Zack Belanger | OF | Stanton, Calif. | Cypress HS | Fr. | 6-3, 190 |
| Mike Botelho | RHP | Castro Valley, Calif. | Chabot CC | Jr. | 6-2, 215 |
| Josh Guerra | OF | Downey, Calif. | Downey HS | Fr. | 5-10, 165 |
| Landon Hunt | LHP | Moorpark, Calif. | Moopark CC | Jr. | 5-11, 160 |
| Chaz Meadows | SS | Concord, Calif. | Clayton Valley HS | Fr. | 5-9, 155 |
| Scott Mitchell | C | Dublin, Calif. | Dublin HS | Fr. | 5-10, 170 |
| Nick Sabo | LHP | Spring Valley, Calif. | Monte Vista HS | Fr. | 6-5, 200 |
