Yucaipa's Davidson commits to USC

Yucaipa rising senior baseball star Matt Davidson told the Prep-dog today he has verbally committed to USC.

"I'm really excited," Davidson said. "Living in Southern California, everyone always thinks USC. It's a big thing and I'm extremely excited. They play baseball at a high level and I love the coaches."

Davidson said his commitment, which was actually made before the prep baseball season, came down to USC, Arizona State or the University of San Diego.

USC envisions Davidson as a two-way player, both pitching and playing third base.

Yucaipa's three top pitchers from last season all received scholarships to NCAA Division I schools, with Davidson bound for USC in 2009 and Scott Snodgress (Stanford) and Adam Miller (Brigham Young University) signed for 2008.

Davidson hit .329 as a junior, with 10 extra base hits and 22 runs batted in. He also went 4-2 on the mound, with a 0.87 earned run average, 48 strikeouts and 12 walks.

Opposing pitchers have pitched around Davidson more throughout the years. As a freshman, he hit .341 with eight home runs and 16 extra-base hits in all.

In one memorable game against Rialto as a freshman, Davidson pitched a complete-game shut out in a 5-0 victory, hit two home runs and drove in all of Yucaipa's runs.

In three years of prep pitching he is 23-5 with a 0.96 earned run average, 190 strikeouts and 41 walks.

He has been a Sun All-County every year of high school, including earning Player of the Year honors as a freshman, unprecedented for a ninth grader. Ironically, Davidson did not even attend classes on the regular Yucaipa High School campus at the time.

Davidson also made the calhisports.com all-state team as a freshman and sophomore, with the 2008 team due out shortly.

Prior to the 2008 season, he was named as one of the 50 preps to watch in the nation by The Sporting News.

Last summer Davidson made the USA Baseball youth (16-and-under) team, which won the World Youth Championships gold medal in Venezuela.