UCLA baseball coach John Savage has been recruiting heavily ever
since being hired a month ago, picking up several commitments.
“I think there’s a lot of interest in recruits coming
to UCLA,” said Savage, who because of NCAA rules could not
comment about any individual recruit. “Academically, the
coaching staff, the allure of the Pac-10 and (UCLA’s)
nonconference schedule are a lot of attributes.” Savage did
acknowledge he had received several commitments and stressed he was
looking for athletes who “could compete right away and help
us win.” On Wednesday, Savage reportedly picked up another
commitment when Jermaine Curtis of Fontana Miller High committed to
the Bruins, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise.
Curtis’ commitment comes only a few weeks after Ryan Babineau
of Rancho Cucamonga Etiwanda reportedly committed to UCLA and
Brendan Lafferty of Riverside Poly reportedly switched his letter
of intent from UC Irvine to UCLA. Also, BC Bay Area Baseball
““ a scouting, placement and development company for high
school baseball players in the Bay Area ““ lists on its Web
site four other players who reportedly have committed to UCLA. The
players named are Blair Dunlap, a second baseman and outfielder out
of Santa Margarita Catholic, outfielder John Drennen (Rancho
Bernardo), outfielder and left-handed pitcher Tim Murphy (Rancho
Buena Vista), and left-handed pitcher Andy Suiter (Menlo). Curtis,
a shortstop, reportedly chose UCLA over Cal State Fullerton, USC,
Long Beach State and Arizona. When the Press-Enterprise asked what
about UCLA made him commit, Curtis said, “Everything about
it.” Frank Martinez, Curtis’ high school coach, told
the Press-Enterprise that Curtis was a complete ball player and
could hit for average, run the bases, and play defense. Savage is
currently at the Area Code Games in Long Beach, a major summer
tournament for California high school baseball players.
ASSISTANT COACH UPDATE: Savage confirmed that
he could not hire any more full-time assistant coaches to add to
his staff of Brian Green and Pat Shine because the NCAA only allows
two paid assistant coaches in baseball. But Savage did say he still
was looking to hire a volunteer baseball coach.
ALUMNUS MAKES HISTORY: Jack Gifford, 63, became
the oldest player in the history of National Baseball Congress
World Series to compete. Gifford, who played at UCLA from 1960 to
1961, plays first base and owns the Maxim Yankees. The National
Baseball Congress is a large organization comprised of amateur
teams from across the country. Almost all of the players are
college, high school or former minor-league baseball players.
“People always ask me if this is something I recommend for
all 60-year-olds,” Gifford told The Associated Press.
“No, I don’t. But I can still throw the ball 220 feet
on a line. I still run pretty well. I’m not the best player
on our team, but I can hit as good as most.” In his
team’s latest game, a 9-1 win over the Springfield (Missouri)
Slashers, Gifford, who is batting .300 on the year, drew a walk and
scored a run in his only at-bat. He played at first base for two
innings. UCLA sophomore Brant Rustich is also playing in the
National Baseball Congress World Series, competing for the Santa
Barbara Foresters.