USD Baseball 2009

his senior season. He cou ld al so see t ime in theTorero outfield as well. "Austin has as good an arm as anyone I have eve r coached in my 22 years, from behind the plate and from right field," said Hill. "I look for him to be a good defensive replacement early on and he could win a starting spot also." Farris played two years at Cuesta College and as a sophomore he hit .340 with 12 doubles and 40 RBI, helped lead his team to the 2008 Western State Con– ference North championship, and helped lead his team to the Super Regionals. Outfield USD's outfield will feature the team's leading hitter from last year in right-fielder James Meador, who hit .374, with 80 hits, 16 doubles, th ree triples, six home runs and 57 RBI, n route to a first-team AII-WCC hon– or. In centerfield, the speedster Kevin Muno will make his return after swiping a team-leading 21 bases last year and hitting .326 with 79 hits, 12 doubles, three triples, four home runs and 29 RBI. At left field, USD will welcome freshman Brian Haar, who comes to the Toreros after a stand-out career at nearby Grossmont High School where he helped lead the team to four CIF championships and earned three first-team All-league distinctions. "Brian is a very talented utility player from Gross– mont High. He can steal a base, hit a home run and play a bunch of different positions for us. I think he is a very valuable asset to the team," stated Hill. Other newcomers who could see time in the out– field include Orange Coast College transfer Mike Fer– raro, and freshmen Jon Hotta and Chase Yost. Ferraro comes to the Toreros after a stand-out ca– reer at Orange Coast College, where he helped lead his team to two consecutive Southern California Su– per Regional appearances. As a sophomore he hit .331 with 44 RBI en route to earning an All -Orange Empire Conference selection . Hotta comes to the Toreros from nearby Oceans– ide High School, where he was a two-time All -Avoca– do League performer. As a senior he hit .360 and had 24 stolen bases, while helping his team reach the CIF finals. Yost comes to the Toreros from Solvang,Calif.While playing at Santa Ynez High School, Yost was named first-team AII-CIF as a senior after hitting .384 with 11 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 20 stolen bases, and 26 RBI.

of the game, which can really separate himself from the others," said Hill. Behind Walters at second could either be sophomore Anthony Strazzara or Sacramento City College transfer Chris Engell. As a fresh– man, Strazzara hit .278 with 22 hits, four doubles and 15 RBI. Engel I comes to the Toreros after hit– ting .364 with 47 hits, two home runs en route to a first-team All -Conference selection in 2008. Strazzara could also be used as a DH for the Tore– ros this season as well. At shortstop, USD will welcome back senior Sean Nicol who is poised for a stand-out senior campaign after posting solid numbers as a junior with a .313 batting average, 72 hits, 13 doubles and 27 RBI. At the hot corner, USD welcomes back its power hitter in preseason All -American sopho– more Victor Sanchez, who set the new freshman record for home runs with 12. Overall, Sanchez hit .268 with 58 hits, 12 doubles and 47 RBI. "Victor has really bulked up over the sum– mer and in the off season," said Hill. "I think he is ready to have a monster year. He has lightning on his bat and has worked on some holes in his swing and really progressed through the fall. " Behind the plate, junior Nick McCoy has earned the starting nod from the coaching staff. Last year, McCoy became Brian Matusz's per– sonal catcher midway through the season, and he made the most of his playing opportunity hit– ting .224 with 22 hits, five doubles and 12 RBI. Backing up McCoy could be a battle between uunior Steven Chatwood, freshman Zach Ko– metani, Austin Green and Cuesta College trans– fer Brian Farris. Chatwood made three starts last season and played in eight games, while re– cording one hit for the Toreros in limited action . Chatwood could also see time in the DH role as well. Kometani comes to the Toreros from Hono– lulu, where he was a stand-out on the Punahou baseball team. He helped lead his team to three consecutive state championships and was a two– time first-team All-Honolulu Advertiser selection . As a junior he hit .380 with 17 RBI and as a senior he hit .320 with 15 RBI. Green comes to San Diego from nearby Pat– rick Henry High School, and was a 43rd round selection by the Houston Astros in the 2008 MLB draft. Green hit .444, had 13 doubles, five home runs and 27 RBI en rout to a first-team All -Eastern League and first-team AII -CIF distinction during