Gauchos make commitments
The Saddleback baseball office announced that three players have given commitments to four-year universities. Riley Kasper, Zak Herbers and Joey Castelli have all made early decisions.
Kasper (left) had a sensational two seasons at Saddleback and was a First Team All-Orange Empire Conference selection in 2019 when he led the team in eight offensive categories. The Capistrano Valley High School graduate will continue his baseball career at UC Irvine, located in Irvine, California. Kasper played in 83 games in two seasons, finishing with 102 hits and 39 bases-on-balls. His 102 hits ranks 27th in Saddleback history while his eight triples in 2019 tied a program record with two others. UC Irvine plays an NCAA D1 schedule in the Big West Conference. The Anteaters are currently 28-11 overall and 10-5 in BWC play.
Herbers (right) made a committed to Kansas State University in the fall where he plans to play for the Wildcats. The Capistrano Valley High School product was 4-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 2019 and finished his two-year career at 5-1 with one save in 18 appearances. Kansas State plays an NCAA D1 schedule in the Big 12 Conference. The Wildcats are currently 21-24 overall and 6-9 in Big 12 play.
Castelli played on the 2017 team and then redshirted in 2018 before missing the 2019 campaign due to injury. The infielder from Mission Viejo High School made a commitment to Montana State University at Billings, located in Billings, Montana. Castelli played in 17 games as a freshman in 2017 and had a promising fall in 2018 before missing the 2019 campaign. Montana State-Billings plays an NCAA D2 schedule in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The Yellowjackets are currently 26-18 overall and 26-10 in GNAC play.