18 Vaqueros going to next level

Eighteen members of the 2015 Vaquero baseball team are moving on to play at four-year colleges or pro baseball.  Ten will play in NCAA Div. 1, five in Div. 2, two at NAIA schools and Pierce Romero signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. It's the highest number of transfers in school history.

SBCC won its third WSC North title in the past five years in 2015. The Vaqueros went 33-11 and finished fifth in California for the second straight year. The 33 wins are the second-most in school history. The pitching staff set a new school record with a 2.21 ERA, which was No. 3 in the state.

Three former Vaqueros were picked in the 2015 MLB Draft and signed minor-league contracts -- Tyler Gilbert (Philadelphia Phillies), Zack Zehner (NY Yankees) and Paddy O'Brien (NY Yankees).

Sean Barry   P    Univ. of San Diego   NCAA Div. 1  One of the top pitchers in the state, the right-hander from Moorpark earned a scholarship to the University of San Diego, which competes in the West Coast Conference. Sixteen San Diego players have appeared in Major League Baseball, including Cubs' rookie slugger Kris Bryant. Barry went 10-3 for the Vaqueros in 2015 with a 1.29 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 111 1/3 innings. The All-Southern Cal selection was No. 2 in California in strikeouts and No. 5 in wins and ERA.

Kit Larson   RP   North Carolina State   NCAA Div. 1  As a freshman, Larson set school records for ERA in a season (0.94) and in conference (0.82). He fanned 41 batters and walked just two in 2014 to earn All-Southern Cal, All-American and All-State Academic honors. He's going to North Carolina State, which has made 27 trips to the NCAA Regionals and played twice in the College World Series.

Pierce Romero   P  Arizona Diamondbacks   The hard-throwing right-hander was drafted in the 9th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks and is currently playing in the Arizona Rookie League. Prior to that, he had committed to play at Nebraska.

Matt Henderson   SS   Florida State   NCAA Div. 1   Henderson was the 2014-15 SBCC Male Student-Athlete of the Year. He batted .329 with 19 stolen bases and earned first-team All-WSC North and All-Southern Cal honors. The switch-hitter was also the co-Gold Glove winner of the division and was voted the MVP of the Santa Barbara Foresters in the California Collegiate League this summer. Florida State has been to 21 College World Series and made 53 NCAA playoff appearance, including 2015.

James Hill    C   Loyola Marymount   NCAA Div. 1   The WSC North co-Player of the Year, Hill was the No. 7 hitter in the WSC North with a .338 average, led the team with 34 RBIs and threw out 12 of 20 base stealers. He was named All-Southern Cal and All-American. Loyola has won six conference titles, been to the NCAA Regionals eight times and advanced to the College World Series once.

Spencer Erdman   2B   Loyola Marymount   NCAA Div. 1   Erdman led the Vaqueros in batting and was fifth in the WSC North at .344. He was No. 3 in the state with 27 steals and drove in 27 runs. He was an All-WSC pick for the Vaq ueros, who won their third WSC North title in five years with a 17-7 record. He was No. 1 in the state with 39 double plays and teammate Matt Henderson turned 36.

Lucas Jacobsen    P   Long Beach State   NCAA Div. 1   A second-team All-WSC choice, Jacobsen went 8-4 with a 2.90 ERA in his freshman season. The 6-5 left-hander clinched the Super Regional Series over Long Beach City by tossing 5 innings of 5-hit shutout ball in a 4-0 triumph.

Matt Gimenez   3B   Long Beach State   NCAA Div. 1  A strong defensive player who made some amazing plays at the hot corner, he found his stroke when it counted, hitting .385 in 8 playoff games in May. Gimenez is joining a proud 49er squad that's been to 18 NCAA Regionals and four College World Series.

Connor McManigal   OF   Florida International   NCAA Div. 1  A two-year starter in right field, the former Santa Barbara High standout was a two-time All-WSC choice who hit .253 this year with 23 RBI. The FIU Panthers captured the Conference USA title this year and advanced to the NCAA Regionals for the third time in six years.

Brandon Evans   OF   Nevada-Reno   NCAA Div. 1  The center fielder hit .295 with 21 RBI and made honorable mention All-WSC for the Vaqueros in 2015. Nevada went 41-15 in 2015 and averaged 8 runs a game to win its fifth Mountain West Conference regular-season tiitle. T.J. Bruce, a former UCLA assistant, was named head coach on June 26.

Jack Spicer   P  Illinois State  NCAA Div. 1  Spicer, a 6-5 freshman who grew up in Grayslake, Ill., just 160 miles from the Redbirds' campus in Normal, Ill., got a scholarship despite an injury that limited him to two games in 2015. "He has a low 90s fastball and is a pro prospect," said Vaquero coach Jeff Walker.

James Brakka  1B   Central Washington   NCAA Div. 2  The former San Marcos High standout was a two-year starter at first base. He hit .328 in his last 16 games this year and finished at .272. Played in 78 games for the Vaqueros the last two years and played first base for the San Luis Blues semi-pro team this summer.

Derek Rustich  1B/3B   Point Loma University  NCAA Div. 2  A 6-3 sophomore from El Cajon, Rustich transferred from UCSB to SBCC. He played in five games before suffering a season-ending injury. "He's a big left-handed bat who should make an impact at PLU," said Walker.

Payton Milone   Inf   Academy of Art (S.F.)   NCAA Div. 2  Played in 27 games in 2015 and hit .286. He batted .346 in 18 home appearances. He hit .277 in two years at SBCC, turning 14 double plays, stealing 17 bases and scoring 29 runs. "He's a defensive gem with great hands," said Urban Knights coach Dan McDermott. "He's a natural and vocal leader."

Cameron Jones  OF   Academy of Art (S.F.)   NCAA Div. 2  The Righetti High product played two years for the Vaqueros and hit leadoff in 2015. He's a solid defender with speed and well known for his backflips that fired up the team before games. He wasn't charged with an error in 25 career chances and had eight extra-base hits with an on-base percentage of .375.

Noeh Martinez   OF   San Francisco State   NCAA Div. 2   Played in 80 of 86 games the last two years and helped the Vaqueros take fifth in the state each time. He hit .267 in 2014 and 2015 with 35 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He was a second-team All-WSC choice in 2015.

Colby Taylor   OF   Midland Univ. (NE)   NAIA   Stole 13 bases in 35 games in 2013, then redshirted in 2014. Played 27 games while battling injuries in 2015. Midland, located in Fremont, Neb., is an NAIA school that competes in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.

Nolan Soto   Inf   Bluefield College (VA)   NAIA   A former Dos Pueblos High star, Soto played two seasons for the Vaqueros, appearing in 21 games as a spot starter and pinch hitter.