College Baseball: ‘Eaters sign five
The UC Irvine baseball program added five recruits last week, including a trio of high school pitchers.
“The biggest needs we felt we needed to address in this class was to find frontline arms and dynamic athletes on the position-player side,” Coach Mike Gillespie said. “The three pitchers that are signing combined to go 18-1 last year while all pitching in very good high school leagues. Our two position players are both middle-of-the-diamond defenders and extremely athletic and we are very excited to add all five of these guys to our program.”
The pitchers are Cole Spear (Orange Lutheran High), Andre Pallante (San Clemente High) and Jack Moberg (Vista Murrieta High).
Christian Koss (Riverside JW North High) is an infielder, while Dailin Lee (Tustin High) is an outfielder.
The three pitchers are all 6-foot right-handers.
“[Spear] was a guy that we recruited and wanted for a long time,” said UCI pitching coach Daniel Bibona. “He has the potential to be a weekend starter for us immediately. This year, Cole will be one of, if not the best pitcher in the Trinity League. He features a fastball that is in the upper 80s and can reach 90 mph. He also possesses a solid curveball and a change-up and is a guy that continues to get better.”
Bibona said of Pallante: “He jumped on the scene last year during the spring as the ace of head coach David Gellatly’s staff that made it to the semifinals [of the CIF Southern Section playoffs]. “He is another guy that could pitch on the weekends right away. The ability to locate the ball down is a huge separator for Andre. He attacks the bottom part of the strike zone with a fastball that reaches the low 90s, and he possesses a real swing-and-miss breaking ball.”
Moberg was 6-0 last year at Vista Murrieta and has won 16 games as a varsity pitcher entering his senior season in 2016.
“Jack had a stretch of four straight starts in which he didn’t allow a run and only gave up seven hits,” Bibona said. “All Jack has done in three years at Vista Murrieta is win. He is a true three-pitch-mix athlete who throws a ton of strikes and loves to compete.”
The 6-2 was described by UCI Associate Head Coach Ben Orloff as a great competitor who loves to play.
“Christian is going to come in and make a major impact in the middle of the diamond for us,” Orloff said. “ He can defend, he can run, and he’s a top-of-the-lineup hitter. The best thing about Christian is the energy and intelligence that he plays with.”
The 5-9 Lee plays for former Costa Mesa High standout Charles Chatman at Tustin. He will bring speed to a UCI program that has not had much in recent years.
“He is a real runner and true center fielder,” Orloff said. “Aside from his on-base ability, he can also drive the ball and is a threat to run every time he gets on. He is an exciting player to watch.”
— From staff reports