Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State Baseball Announces Signing Of Eight New Players
11/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 14, 2005
Fresno, Calif. - Following the completion of the early signing period, Fresno State Baseball has announced that eight new student-athletes have accepted offers to play for Fresno State in the 2007 season. This class holds plenty of talent from both the Valley and the rest of the state, and has a good chance of becoming the program's fourth straight top 20 recruiting class.
"We always look to recruit inside out," said head coach Mike Batesole. "That means that we try to recruit the best players from the Central Valley, then move outward to the rest of the state." This year is no exception to that, as four of the top players from this year's class hail from the Valley.
Two great local pitchers highlight the 2007 class. Jared Thompson, a right-hander from Edison High School, was one of the most highly recruited players in the country this year, and picked the Bulldogs over Stanford, Arizona, and California among others. A runner-up to current Bulldog Justin Wilson for the Central Valley Player of the Year as a junior in 2005, Thompson was 8-2 with 5 saves and a 1.22 ERA, and also hit .434 with 11 home runs and 41 RBI. Joining him is Alan Ahmady, another right-hander from Clovis West High School. Ahmady was a first-team all-conference utility player last season, and is a starting pitcher for a Clovis West squad that is one of the Valley's best.
"In order to grow as a program, we need to make sure that the best pitchers in the valley stay home," said Batesole. "We were able to do that last year, recruiting Andy Underwood and Justin Wilson, and having Jared Thompson and Alan Ahmady choose Fresno State this year is another great step for us."
Two more local position players highlight the 2005 class. Tom Mendonca, a shortstop from Turlock, Calif. is one of the best in the country. Likely to be a high draft pick in the 2006 draft, Mendoca is a player that possesses both speed, power and a professional-level arm, and should make an immediate impact at the Division I level. Joining Mendoca is Nick Bates, a freshman catcher from Madera, Calif., who hit .343 with 17 RBI as a junior, and possesses one of the best arms in the Valley, throwing out 68 percent of base stealers. In addition Bates was highly recruited as one of the best quarterbacks in the Central Section as well.
"This was a class that filled our needs exactly, and that we're very excited about," said Batesole. "We focused on our needs with pitching and in the middle infield, and were able to recruit impact players at all of those positions."
2007 Fresno State Baseball Fall Recruiting Class
Alan Ahmady: RHP/SS, Clovis West HS, Fresno, Calif.
Nick Bates: C, Madera HS, Madera, Calif.
Sean Bonesteele: RHP/1B, Foothill HS, Santa Ana, Calif.
Drew Gagnier: RHP. Santa Cruz HS, Santa Cruz, Calif.
David Hernandez: SS, Monte Vista HS, Danville, Calif.
Tom Mendonca: SS, Turlock HS, Turlock, Calif.
Eric Otterson: RHP, Elk Grove HS, Elk Grove, Calif.
Jared Thompson: RHP/OF, Edison HS, Fresno, Calif.
