Collegiate Baseball 2014 Recruiting Evaluation
FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton's 2014 class was ranked the No. 10 recruiting class in the nation, according to Collegiate Baseball newspaper's annual evaluation, it was released Monday.
Fullerton's class ranks first among Big West Conference opponents, ahead of No. 18 Long Beach State. The Titans class also ranks third among Division I programs in the state of California behind No. 4 San Diego and No. 8 Stanford.
Louisiana State received the top ranking.
The class includes 2014 signees Tristan Hildebrandt, Chad Bible, Scott Hurst, catchers Jordan Hand and Chris Hudgins along with pitchers John Gavin and Connor Seabold.
Selected in the 16th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, Hildebrandt elected to attend Cal State Fullerton. A graduate of Esperanza High School, the 5-foot-10 infielder was named a second-team high school All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association after his senior season. Hildebrandt was named to the Century League First Team. He was the only freshman to make the varsity team in the school's history and capped off his four-year career with an excellent senior season, hitting .481 with four home runs and 23 RBIs. He was named the team MVP and was also selected first-team All-CIF and First-Team All-State.
Outfielder Scott Hurst played for the Alaska Goldpanners during the summer along with current Titans Tanner Pinkston and Miles Chambers. Hurst led the 2014 Alaska Baseball League champions with a .429 batting average, collecting 39 hits in 91 at-bats and had 15 RBI. He stole five bases and had four doubles. A 2014 graduate of Bishop Amat High School, Hurst played three years on the varsity squad and was named the CIF Player of the Year as a senior. The 5-foot-10 outfielder hit .419 with 25 RBI and six stolen bases in his final season with the Lancers. He also recorded a 1-1 record on the mound with six saves and 19 strikeouts, earning a Los Angeles Times First-Team selection.
Chad Bible (Santa Clarita, Calif./Valencia HS) played four seasons on the varsity squad for head coaches Jared Snyder and Mike Killenger. Bible was named to the Cal Hi Sports All-State Underclass Second Team and earned All-Santa Clarita Valley and All-Foothill League selections. He led the Foothill League with five home runs in his senior year and batted .365 with 19 RBIs and a .671 slugging percentage to help the Vikings to a 17-12-1 record and a first-round berth in the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs.
Jordan Hand (Las Vegas, NV/Shadow Ridge HS) was drafted by the New York Mets in the 34th round of the 2014 MLB Draft but elected to attend Cal State Fullerton. The 6-foot-3 backstop played four seasons on the varsity team for the Mustangs and was named to the Sunset Division First Team as a senior. Hand batted .438 with five home runs and 15 RBI to go along with nine stolen bases. He earned a gold glove award and was also named Second-Team All-State.
A 35th round draft pick by the New York Yankees in the 2014 MLB Draft, Chris Hudgins (El Cajon, Calif./Valhalla HS) comes to Cal State Fullerton after being named the EastCountySports.com Co-Player of the Year. Hudgins batted .405 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI for Valhalla High School. He earned All-CIF First Team honors and was named to the Cal-Hi Sports and MaxPreps All-State First Team.
John Gavin (Mountain View, Calif./St. Francis HS) was a 39th round selection by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2014 MLB Draft. In his senior year at St. Francis, the 6-foot-6 left-hander went 8-1 with a 0.71 ERA in 78 and 2/3 innings pitched. Opposing batters hit just .139 against him. As a junior, Gavin helped lead the Lancers to a CIF Central Section Division I championship with a 10-0 victory over Serra High School, tossing a one-hitter with eight strikeouts.
Connor Seabold (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor HS) was drafted in the 19th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He comes to Fullerton after earning a spot on the All-Sunset League First Team after striking out 75 batters in 60 innings pitched. Played three seasons on the varsity squad with the Sailors and racked up 155 career strikeouts.