UCLA baseball recruiting class ranked No. 4
From UCLA:
The UCLA baseball program's incoming group of nine freshmen has been ranked the No. 4 recruiting class in the nation by Collegiate Baseball, the national weekly baseball newspaper has announced.
The top five recruiting classes, as ranked by Collegiate Baseball, include LSU, San Diego, Oregon, UCLA and Florida, respectively. UCLA's latest additions have arrived in Westwood this week, as fall quarter classes are slated to begin Thursday, Sept. 23.
This marks the highest-ranked recruiting class for UCLA (by Collegiate Baseball) in head coach John Savage's six recruiting classes. Collegiate Baseball pegged the Bruins' 2007-08 group No. 5 and its 2008-09 class No. 6. UCLA's 2005-06 recruiting class was ranked No. 5 by Baseball America.
Five players from the Bruins' recruiting class were chosen in the 2010 MLB Draft last June. Each of the incoming three-right handed pitchers were drafted - Adam Plutko (sixth round, Houston), Zack Weiss (10th round, Pittsburgh) and Nick Vander Tuig (39th round, Toronto). The two other draftees - outfielder Brenton Allen (ninth round, Philadelphia) and infielder Kevin Williams (41st round, L.A. Dodgers) - both hit from the left side of the plate.
UCLA's recruiting class includes first baseman Patrick Gallagher, the 2010 Nevada Player of the Year and a three-year varsity letterwinner at Reno High School (Reno, Nev.). Standout infielder Pat Valaika joins the Bruins from Hart High School, while Jacob Shirley and Brian Carroll each shined as two-sport stars (baseball and football) at South Hills High School and Granite Hills High School, respectively.
The Bruins went 51-17 in 2010, advancing to the finals of the College World Series for the first time in program history. UCLA made its third trip to the College World Series, its first appearance in Omaha, Neb., since 1997. UCLA's 51 wins set the school's single-season record, eclipsing the 45-win total from 1997.
Awesome! Now let's carry this success over to the field with another Championship run (but winning it all this time) :o)