Bulldog baseball makes its mark after high school

In the past 34 years, more baseball players have gone on to play at the collegiate level than any other sport.

This year is no exception as 11 Bulldog alumni competed in intercollegiate baseball this spring. Two are still in the NCAA Regional playoffs at press time.

Ian Bablewski completed his freshman year playing for the Whittier Poets. Ian hit .161 in 15 games.

He started six games for the Poets who went 12-28 on the season and were 6-15 in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Ian also played football for the Poets.

Jarrod Castrejon and Jon Houts traveled to Portland to play for the Concordia University Cavaliers. The Cavaliers went 19-31 on the season and were 13-19 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.

Houts, a sophomore, hit 302 in 34 games. He started 24. Houts hit a stellar .348 in the CCC with two home runs and two doubles. Nine of his 10 RBIs came in the CCC.

Castrejon ended his frosh season with an 0-1 record. He pitched in 14 games and had two starts. He fanned 15 hitters in 23.2 innings and improved as the season progressed. He had a 4.82 era in CCC action.

Chuck Stith played for the Red Raiders of Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. The Raiders were 19-23 overall and went 8-16 in the Great Planes Athletic Conference.

Stith, a junior, hit .222 in 29 games. He had two doubles and one home run with 11 RBI. He started 17 games behind the plate.

Josh Corson had a great freshman year for the Redhawks of Simpson University of the California Pacific Conference. The Redhawks went 14-32 on the season and were 6-23 in conference play.

Corson hit an outstanding .347 with eight doubles, one triple, three home runs and 22 RBIs.

Shawn Hardesty, a sophomore, pitched for Bringham Young University of the Mountain West Conferences. The Cougars were 30-24 overall and were 14-8 in the MWC.

Hardesty posted a 7.24 era and had an 0-0 record. He pitched in 10 games, all in relief. He struck out seven hitters in 13 innings.

Corey Vasquez earned the starting catching job as a freshman at the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota. The Cougars were 18-23 on the season and were 13-11 in the GPAC.

Vasquez hit a solid .308 in 41 games He had 39 starts, with seven doubles and one triple with 13 RBIs. He led the team in chances (236), put outs (197) and assists (34).

Drew Muren, who had a shoulder operation, sat out this season at Cal-State Northridge as a medical red shirt. The Matadors were 24-32 and 7-17 in the very tough Big West conference.

Muren still has three years of eligibility. His brother Alex will join him next season at CSUN.

Cole Sulser played for the Ivy League Champions, Dartmouth University. The Big Green went 27-16 on the season and won the Ivy League with a 16-4 record.

Sulser pitched in nine games and had six starts. He fanned 36 batters on the season Cole was 3-1 in the Ivy League in five starts. He struck out 26 in 31 innings of work. The Big Green will play North Carolina in the Chapel Hill Regional playoffs of the NCAA.

Guy Willeford played for the Aztecs of San Diego State University. The Aztecs went 40-21 on the season and were 15-9 in the MWC. The Aztecs finished second in the MWC Tournament and were awarded a berth in the NCAA Regionals in Irvine against Virginia.

Willeford hit .329 in 14 games. He started six games and had two doubles, one home run and six RBIs.

James Meador finished the season at USD as the West Coast Conference Player of the Year, as was reported in last week’s Sentinel.

All of the 11 alums played for Coach Dean Welch and his staff. Bob Snelling, Chuck Welch, Bobby Groves and Josh Lohman have all coached the above as position coaches in the Bulldog program. They have passed their knowledge and their love of the game on to their players.

Two bulldogs are playing in the professional ranks. Neil Jamison and Nick Vicent are in the San Diego farm system. Go, Dawgs!