UCLA Wraps Up Successful Summer Collegiate League Season
September 07, 2018 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES โ The 2018 summer collegiate baseball season proved to be another effective campaign for UCLA's 26 participating players, who racked up nine all-league picks, four All-Star game selections, and an MVP award across the country's various leagues.
The Bruins arguably experienced their most success in the Cape Cod League, the most prestigious of all summer leagues. A quartet of UCLA players โ staff ace Ryan Garcia, center fielder Jeremy Ydens, shortstop Ryan Kreidler, and reliever Jack Ralston โ made up the backbone of the Wareham Gatemen, who eventually went on to win the Cape Championship. Ydens (.304/.347/.432) and Garcia (2-0, 1.28 ERA) both put up gaudy stat lines en route to All-Cape Cod League honors. First baseman Michael Toglia made his second consecutive summer with the Cotuit Kettleers count, as he clubbed eight home runs and batted .429 in the playoffs on his way to team MVP honors.
The West Coast League, headquartered in the Pacific Northwest, was basically a Bruin coming out party this summer, as UCLA incoming players and underclassmen put their stamp on the league. First round pick Matt McLain backed up his draft stock with a summer that earned him the inaugural Top Prospect Award, while fellow incoming freshman Nick Nastrini dominated the league with a 1.88 ERA, earning him First Team All-League honors.
Though Nastrini picked up the accolades, he was far from alone among soon-to-be Bruins with big debuts in the WCL. Other standouts included catcher Noah Cardenas (.287/.336/.394, All-WCL Second Team), two-way player Jake Moberg (.287 BA, All-WCL honorable mention), infielder Mikey Perez (five home runs, All-WCL honorable mention), and infielder JT Schwartz (.320/.395/.560).
Sophomore outfielder Garrett Mitchell led the Bruins' six-player contingent in the Northwoods League, based in the Great Lakes region. Mitchell excelled with the bat, hitting .309 and drawing 20 walks en route to a .404 OBP. RJ Teijeiro grabbed headlines both for his bat (.300 BA, 26 BB in 40 games) and his glove, as the third baseman saw a healthy amount of playing time behind the dish.
Infielder Chase Strumpf was selected to play for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team this summer but did not participate due to an injury. He is expected to make a full recovery and return to UCLA in the fall.
Below are brief recaps of UCLA's players in summer league action. ย
Dennis Boatman
Freshman โ Right-Handed Pitcher
West Coast League (Corvallis)
Made 12 appearances out of the pen for Corvallis, crafting a 9.92 ERA in 16 1/3 innings โฆ Struck out 13 batters โฆ Earned a save against Cowlitz on Jun. 15, allowing just one hits over 3 1/3 shutout innings to close out the game.
Noah Cardenas
Freshman โ Catcher
West Coast League (Portland)
Thrived in his first trip to the WCL, slashing .287/.336/.394 en route to All-WCL Second Team honors โฆ Had 18 RBIs in 30 games โฆ Best game of the year came on Aug. 5 against Port Angeles, as he went 3-5 with a home run and reached base four times.
Kyle Cuellar
Junior โ Infielder
Northwoods League (Mankato)
Batted .174 with one home run, three extra-base hits, and 10 RBIs over 15 games played โฆ Drove in at least one run in nine of his 15 games (60%).
Chase Farrell
Sophomore โ Right-Handed Pitcher
West Coast League (Yakima)
After the season, was named to the All-WCL Second Team. Key piece of the rotation for Yakima in the WCL, going 2-2 with a 3.46 ERA โฆ Struck out over a batter per inning, fanning 57 in just 52 innings pitched โฆ Was especially effective early on in the summer, recording a 2.51 ERA over his first eight appearances โฆ Named a WCL All-Star.
Jack Filby
Freshman โ Infielder
West Coast League (Walla Walla)
Batted .256 with a .352 on-base percentage for Walla Walla in the WCL โฆ Had seven extra-base hits over 51 games for the Sweets โฆ Went 2-4 in the playoffs with a double and two RBIs โฆ Played both middle infield positions โฆ Added 7 1/3 innings of pitching to his resume, finishing with a 1.23 ERA.
Ryan Garcia
Junior โ Right-Handed Pitcher
Cape Cod League (Wareham)
Prospect Ranking: No. 15 pitcher (D1Baseball)
Served as the ace for the Cape Cod League champion Wareham Gatemen โฆ Had a 2-0 record, 1.28 ERA, and 33 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings โฆ Tossed a perfect second inning for the East Team in the Cape Cod League All-Star Game โฆ Named to the postseason All-Cape Cod League Team โฆ In 10 postseason innings, struck out 15 and allowed no runs โฆ Allowed one earned run or fewer in each of his 10 appearances โฆ Finished the summer with a streak of 25 consecutive innings without an earned run โฆ Named the No. 15 pitching prospect in the Cape by D1Baseball.
Ty Haselman
R-Sophomore โ Catcher
Coastal Plain League (Lexington)
Recorded a .224 over 18 games played for Lexington of the Coastal Plain League.
Ryan Kreidler
Junior โ Infielder
Cape Cod League (Wareham)
Starting shortstop for the Cape Cod League champion Wareham Gatemen โฆ Flashed a solid glove, making just four errors in 36 games for a .970 fielding percentage โฆ Finished the campaign with a .229 batting average โฆ Scored a pair of runs in the title-clinching game.
Matt McLain
Freshman โ Infielder
West Coast League (Bellingham)
McLain validated his first-round pick status with a strong debut summer in the WCL, slashing .291/.370/.442 with 24 RBIs in 23 games โฆ Won the inaugural WCL Top Prospect Award โฆ Had multiple hits in eight of his 23 appearances โฆ Also garnered an All-WCL honorable mention โฆ Named the WCL Player of the Week on Aug. 6, he went 10-26 with a home run, seven RBIs, and eight runs scored in the week prior โฆ Hit a home run and collected four RBIs in back-to-back games (Jul. 23 vs. Bend, Jul. 24 vs. Port Angeles) โฆ Had 12 RBIs over a four-game span from Jul. 22-25.
Garrett Mitchell
Sophomore โ Outfielder
Northwoods League (Mankato)
Had a standout summer with the bat for Mankato, finishing with a .328 batting average, .404 on-base percentage, 21 RBIs, and 20 walks in 35 games โฆ Added four hits in five at-bats in the playoffs.
Jake Moberg
Freshman โ Infielder/Right-Handed Pitcher
West Coast League (Yakima)
Two-way standout did the most damage with his bat, recording a .287 batting average and .376 on-base percentage โฆ Earned an All-WCL honorable mention โฆ Named a WCL All-Star โฆ Added 8 2/3 innings on the hill.
Kyle Mora
Junior โ Right-Handed Pitcher
Cape Cod League (Harwich)
Made three starts for Harwich in the Cape, going 1-1 with a 2.13 ERA over 12 2/3 innings โฆ Struck out over a batter per inning, ending up with 14 Ks at the end of the year.
Sean Mullen
Freshman โ Right-Handed Pitcher
West Coast League (Yakima)
Threw just 1 2/3 innings over the summer โฆ In that start, allowed three earned runs and struck out two โฆ Made three starts in the field (two at 3B, one at DH), going 2-8 with an RBI and a run scored.
Nick Nastrini
Freshman โ Right-Handed Pitcher
West Coast League (Bellingham)
Despite not yet entering college, emerged as one of the top pitchers in the WCL this summer โฆ Earned First Team All-WCL status after going 4-2 with a 1.88 ERA over 10 appearances (nine starts) โฆ Had 43 strikeouts and 25 walks in 49 innings โฆ Allowed one run over six innings in his lone playoff start โฆ Gave up three earned or fewer in each of his appearances, and held opponents to one earned or fewer in eight of his 10 outings ... Struck out seven in five shutout innings against Bend on Jul. 22 โฆ Gave up just 28 hits over his 43 innings (5.86 per nine innings).
Mikey Perez
Freshman โ Infielder
West Coast League (Portland)
Slashed .248/.317/.404 for Portland in the WCL โฆ Flashed some power, clubbing five home runs and 20 RBIs over 40 games โฆ Played shortstop primarily โฆ Earned an All-WCL honorable mention โฆ Went 4-5 with a pair of doubles and three runs scored against Cowlitz on Jul. 3.
Holden Powell
Sophomore โ Right-Handed Pitcher
New England Collegiate Baseball League (Newport)
Logged a 2-3 record and 7.51 ERA over 26 1/3 innings for Newport of the NECBL โฆ Missed a lot of bats, striking out 13.67 batters per nine innings (40 Ks in 26.1 IP) โฆ Issued 18 walks. ย
Jordan Prendiz
R-Sophomore โ Outfielder
Northwoods League (Fond du Lac)
Finished with a .148 average in 33 games played โฆ Went 2-3, scored twice, and reached base four times against Battle Creek on Jul. 13.
Jake Pries
Senior โ Outfielder
California Collegiate League (OC Riptide)
Had four hits in seven at-bats over two games for the OC Riptides โฆ Riptides finished runner-up in the CCL.
Jack Ralston
Junior โ Right-Handed Pitcher
Cape Cod League (Wareham)
Pitched out of the bullpen for the Cape Cod League champion Wareham Gatemen โฆ Had a 7.10 ERA in 6 1/3 innings โฆ Didn't allow a run in three of his five appearances.
Nick Scheidler
Junior โ Left-Handed Pitcher
Cape Cod League (Chatham)
Tossed nine innings of relief over eight appearances for Chatham โฆ Had a 2.00 ERA and seven strikeouts โฆ Ended the summer with a four-game, 6 2/3 inning streak without allowing an earned run.
JT Schwartz
Freshman โ Infielder
West Coast League (Wenatchee)
Crushed WCL pitching during his summer with Wenatchee, slugging .320/.395/.560 over 20 games โฆ In his 75 at-bats, had nine extra-base hits including four homers โฆ Drove in 15 runs โฆ Played both corner infield positions โฆ Best performance of the summer came on Jul. 22 against Yakima Valley, as he had three extra-base hits (two doubles, triple) and four RBIs. ย
Jarron Silva
Junior โ Outfielder
Northwoods League (La Crosse)
Had a .219 batting average in 35 games โฆ Had six multi-hit games, included a trio of three-hit efforts.
Chase Strumpf
Junior โ Infielder
United State Collegiate National Team
Was not able to play due to injury.
RJ Teijeiro
Sophomore โ Infielder
Northwoods League (Mankato)
Playing primarily third base, batted .300 with a .417 on-base percentage in 40 games โฆ Drew 26 walks and drove in 18 runs โฆ Also spent time behind the plate, catching bullpens and making a half-dozen starts in the squat.
Michael Toglia
Junior โ Infielder
Cape Cod League (Cotuit)
Prospect Rankings: No. 15 (Baseball America), No. 9 hitter (D1 Baseball)
Returned to the Cape and Cotuit for the second straight year โฆ Named Team MVP โฆ Batted .220 overall with eight home runs and 24 RBIs in 38 games โฆ Batted .429 in the playoffs โฆ Hit two home runs against Falmouth on Jul. 5 โฆ After the season, ranked as the No. 15 prospect in the Cape by Baseball America and the No. 9 position player prospect in the Cape by D1Baseball.
Michael Townsend
Sophomore โ Right-Handed Pitcher
Northwoods League (Waterloo)
Tossed 41 innings for the Waterloo Bucks โฆ Made seven starts and four relief appearances โฆ Had a 6.36 ERA and 29 strikeouts โฆ Allowed one run or fewer in five of his appearances. ย
Jeremy Ydens
Junior โ Outfielder
Cape Cod League (Wareham)
Starting center fielder for the Cape Cod League champion Wareham Gatemen โฆ Slashed .304/.347/.432 in 36 regular season games โฆ Started in center and batted leadoff for the West Team in the Cape Cod All-Star Game โฆ Batted cleanup in the Cape Cod Championship Series, going 1-8 with an RBI โฆ Named to the All-Cape Cod League Team.
