FULLERTON, Calif. – Head Coach Rick Vanderhook and the Cal State Fullerton Baseball program have signed eight student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. The group is comprised of two infielders, one outfielder, one two way player and four right-handed pitchers.
It's a very talented group that brings some physical presence to the position player side. All of the pitchers fit within the Cal State Fullerton philosophy of athletic pitchers who come in with great fastball command and a second pitch.
"Sergio Brown and Dan Ricabal did a great job in the coaching transition to finish off a recruiting class that started with Coach Baum and Coach Rousey," Vanderhook said. "We were able to land some players this past summer that quite frankly we were surprised were still available. We feel fortunate to land position players so late with the skill set of a Brendan Bobo and Tristan Gomes in this era of early recruiting.
"We are talking two physical left hand hitters that we feel can stay in the infield. Mix that in with the two arms we landed in Jake Vargas and Wyatt Johnson and it turns into a very complete class. We've had JT Navyac, Nathan Nankil, James Wambold and Christian Rodriguez committed for a while so the class was foundationally strong already. All eight of these players have the ability to be All-Big West performers. This is a group of talented players that will rank as one of the tops in the Big West Conference."
"Most importantly these student-athletes possess strong character and work ethic. They come from solid families and we're excited that they have entrusted this coaching staff to pave the way for them to graduate from college and play Major League baseball."
Brendan Bobo
Infielder – Harbor High School, Santa Cruz, Calif.
6'2, 200
Plays for Joe Allegri at Harbor High School
Three Time All-League
2019 Area Code Games
All-League in both football and basketball
Has volunteered with Special Olympics
"Brendan is a left hand hitting middle infielder with great athleticism and a strong arm. Has the natural actions that will allow him to stay in the middle infield. Possesses big time power and bat speed. Brendan's best days are out in front of him. Comes from a baseball family as his dad was a catcher and first baseman in the Angels Organization." - Sergio Brown
Tristan Gomes
Infielder – Millard West High School, Omaha, Neb.
6'5, 205
Plays for Steve Fray at Millard West High School
National Honor Society
All-State in baseball and basketball for 2 straight years
Academic All-State in baseball and basketball
Varsity Letter in Football as a quarterback and in basketball as a forward
Member of athletic leadership group at Millard West
"Tristan is a tremendous athlete. He's played at the varsity level in baseball, football and basketball. As a high school quarterback competing for state titles in Nebraska we're excited about the leadership qualities he possesses. Along with the fact that he's in a cold weather state where he's maximizing his skills in different sports. We can't wait to see him develop as he commits all his time to baseball next year. There is a special baseball player waiting to explode and it's going to happen at Goodwin Field." - Sergio Brown
Wyatt Johnson
Right-handed pitcher – Kennedy High School, Buena Park, Calif.
6'2, 170
Plays for Tom Monahan at Kennedy High School
First Team All-League
Empire League Pitcher of the Year
CIF Player of the Year
First Team All-CIF
Led Orange County with 114 strikeouts, tied third in Orange County with total hits (43)
CIF Champion
"Wyatt is an athletic strike thrower who comes at hitters with a solid three pitch mix. He can really move the ball around to both sides of the plate, and can spin it with above average feel. His changeup is advanced and he's highly competitive. He knows how to win, as he demonstrated this ability by leading Kennedy High School to the 2019 CIF Championship." - Sergio Brown
Jake Vargas
Right-handed pitcher – Bishop Amat High School, West Covina, Calif.
6'4, 210
Plays for Joe Hoggatt at Bishop Amat High School
Three time First Team All-Camino Real League
Second Team All-CIF Division 1
First Team All-San Gabriel Valley
3.5 GPA and Above all years of High School
National Honor Society
"Jake is your typical winner. Everywhere he plays he just finds ways to win games. He does it with pinpoint fastball command and a hard slider. He is extremely competitive and a leader in every way. The sky's the limit in terms of development. A big strong bodied kid who understands pitching." - Sergio Brown
James Wambold
Right-handed pitcher – Temecula Valley High School, Temecula, Calif.
6'4, 165
Plays for former Titan All-American Darric Merrell at Temecula Valley High School
First Team All-League
2018 Perfect Game Preseason All-American
2019 Perfect Game Preseason All-American 2019 WWBA 17u West National Champion
2019 Pitcher of the Year
Perfect Game ranked #144 in the state
"James has really made a jump here this fall as a pitcher. He's a long, lean bodied kid that is starting to put strength and weight on his frame. He has a high level of feel to pitch and understands his art. He will come into this program and understand the Titan Way of doing things as he has learned from former Titan great Darric Merrell." - Sergio Brown
JT Navyac
Two-way talent – Right-handed pitcher/Infielder – Saint Louis HS, Honolulu, HI
5'11, 175
Plays for George Gusman at St. Louis High School
Honor Roll 2017-2018, 2018-2019
No. 9 ranked player in Hawaii
2019 Area Code Games
Honorable Mention 2019 Shortstop/Pitcher
"JT has the chance to be the next great two-way player here at Cal State Fullerton. He has a great feel to play the shortstop position. Most importantly he has a lot of fun playing the game of baseball. He's a live bodied kid that plays with a lot of energy, and his natural athleticism allows him to easily transition to the mound and epitomize a true pitcher. He's the same athlete on the mound that commands three pitches with a fastball that sits in the upper 80's and has topped off at 93" - Sergio Brown
Nathan Nankil
Outfielder – Bonita Vista High School, Chula Vista, Calif.
6'3 190
Plays for Dave Palet at Bonita Vista High School
40th ranked player in California per Perfect Game
No. 9 ranked outfielder in California per Perfect Game
2019 Area Code Games
"Nathan is a tremendous baseball player. An elite level player who can do it all on the field. He's not only one of the best outfielders in California but one of the top outfielders in the country. He can really run, possesses a great arm, hits for average and has gap power. We're excited to see him running down balls in the gaps at Goodwin Field. He can do a lot of things on a baseball field that can help our team win games." - Sergio Brown
Christian Rodriguez
Right-handed pitcher – Orange Lutheran High School, Corona, Calif.
6'3, 185
Plays for Eric Borba at Orange Lutheran High School
Three years of First Team All-Trinity League
3.5 GPA or higher two years in a row
26th ranked player in California per Perfect Game
5th Ranked Pitcher in California per Perfect Game
"Christian is a big, physical, and athletic right-handed pitcher out of Orange Lutheran High School. He is regarded as one of the top pitchers in the highly competitive Trinity League. Christian has a chance to be a power arm, and has the stuff to be a weekend rotation guy. Our future on the mound looks bright as Christian will continue to develop into one of the top arms in the country" - Sergio Brown
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