SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara baseball head coach Mark O'Brien unveiled his recruiting class of 2007 today as he announced the signing of eight student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. The eight ballplayers will attend Santa Clara University in the fall of 2007.
The class includes four players from California, two from Washington, and one apiece from Oregon and Arizona.
David Abraham (Bellarmine College Prep/De Anza College), Bricklin Foley (Archbishop Mitty HS), Aaron Headrick (Cupertino HS), and Thain Simon (Jesuit HS-Sacramento) all hail from Northern California, while Matt Beers (Woodinville HS) and Chris Morton (Bellevue HS) make up the Washington contingent. Joe Supple (Jesuit HS-Portland) comes to the Mission Campus from Oregon, while Kyle Van Dusen (Scottsdale City College) hails from Arizona.
"I believe we addressed the areas we needed to with this solid recruiting class," O'Brien said. "I am very impressed with the mix of solid pitchers and position players we were able to attract to Santa Clara. We were able to get quality infielders and pitching is something that is a constant to be successful."
"These are very bright and intelligent young men that can have an impact on our program for years to come," O'Brien continued. "Mike Zirelli has done a tremendous job as our recruiting coordinator and Chad Baum as well as Jeff Pritchard have made immediate impacts on our staff with regards to recruiting."
Santa Clara opens up its 2007 season on the road, traveling to Honolulu, Hawaii for a three-game series against the Rainbow Warriors of the University of Hawaii from Jan. 26-28.
A 5-8 infielder from San Jose, Abraham starred as the starting second baseman for Bellarmine College Prep before moving on to De Anza College. At De Anza, he hit .320 in 2006, and .340 in conference play en route to being voted to the All-Coast Conference First Team.
Beers, a 5-9 catcher entering his senior season at Woodinville High School in Woodinville, Wash., has hit at least .400 in each of his past two seasons and as a junior was named All-League for his performance. He hit .410 as a junior in 2006 and .400 as a sophomore in 2005, and currently is ranked 18th in Baseball Northwest's top player rankings in the Northwest region.
A 6-1 right-handed pitcher out of San Jose's Archbishop Mitty High School, Foley made an immediate impact with the Monarchs as he tossed a no-hitter in his first varsity start. As a junior last year, he was named to the All-Tournament team at the Mike Hazlett Tournament after posting a 2-0 record and 1.87 earned-run average. Foley also participated in the U.S. Youth National team trials in 2006.
The third member of the Class of 2007 from the South Bay, Headrick, a 5-10 infielder/pitcher out of Cupertino High School, brings a solid resume to the Mission Campus. As a junior in 2006, he finished runner-up for the league MVP award while batting .410 with 38 runs batted in and 23 runs scored. As a pitcher, Headrick was named to the All-Santa Clara Valley Athletic League First Team after posting a 9-3 record and 2.40 ERA, and participated in the California North vs. South All-Star game.
Morton, a 6-2 first and third baseman from Bellevue High School in Bellevue, Wash., has proven so far in his high school career a penchant for getting on base. Named first-team all-league as a junior in 2006, Morton posted an OBP of .469 and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.151. He hit .341 on the year with three home runs following a sophomore campaign in 2005 in which he hit .385. Morton was also named to the Class of 2007 Area Code team with the Washington Nationals club team.
A towering 6-4 right-handed pitcher out of Sacramento's Jesuit High School, Simon was selected to the All-Delta League First Team in 2006 after compiling a 6-3 record and 2.73 ERA while striking out 61 batters in 59 innings of work. He led the Marauders to the Sub-Section finals as a junior while throwing four no-hitters, and was named a Puma All-American as well as to the CBCA North/South Invite.
Another right-handed arm in the Class of 2007, Supple, a 6-2 hurler out of Portland, Ore.'s Jesuit High School. As a sophomore and junior, he was named an Oregon Metro League All-Star, and in 2006 was named an OSAA & Dairy Farmers of America Academic All-State. So far in his varsity career, Supple holds a career mark of 11-3, including a 6-2 record as a junior last season.
A 6-0 middle infielder at Scottsdale City College in Scottsdale, Ariz., Van Dusen played in 45 games as a freshman last season, stealing nine bases and scoring 28 runs, ending the year by playing in the 2006 JUCO All-Star game. As a senior at Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix, Van Dusen batted .310 with 24 stolen bases, and was named to the All-State First Team. He was also named second-team all-state as a junior in 2004.