Nov. 21, 2012

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Fifth-year Head Coach Jason Gill and the LMU baseball program recently announced a stellar 2014 recruiting class consisting of seven standout student-athletes. Listed alphabetically, the signing class is made up of Brenton Arriaga (LHP - Los Osos HS), Cassidy Brown (C - Walsh Jesuit HS), JD Busfield (RHP - Valencia HS), Tyler Cohen (INF - Agoura HS), David Fletcher (INF - Cypress HS), Matt Gorgolinski (RHP - Serra HS), and Austin Miller (OF - Greeley West HS).

"I think the coaching staff, and recruiting coordinator Bryant Ward in particular, did a great job of attacking some needs that we will have for the 2014 season," Gill said. "We have added tremendous talent in the middle of the field, recruiting a catcher, three big-time arms, a pair of athletic infielders, and a centerfielder who can run. All of these players have the skills to compete right away at the Division I level."

Brenton Arriaga | LHP | 6'5 | 190 | Los Osos HS
Arriaga, along with fellow 2014 commit David Fletcher, helped the So Cal Renegades to the 2012 Connie Mack World Series Championship. Prepping at Los Osos High School, Arriaga pitched to a 2.10 ERA with 72 strikeouts over 54 innings en route to an All-Baseline League selection last year. The left-hander also played for the Orioles Scout Team in 2012.

COACH GILL ON ARRIAGA: Arriaga is a command left-handed pitcher that has three pitches that he can throw for strikes in any count. He has a ton of deception, and based on his ability to throw strikes right now, he should be able to help us compete right away as a freshman.

Cassidy Brown | C | 6'3 | 205 | R/R | Walsh Jesuit HS
Brown is a four-year varsity starter and two-time Rawlings Preseason All-American selection. One of Max Preps' Top-50 players, he is also ranked in the Top-500 in the country according to Perfect Game. The backstop was named 2010 Freshman of the Year at Walsh Jesuit HS before earning an All-Conference selection as a junior. Last year, Cassidy hit .439 with 12 doubles, three triples, eight homers and 31 RBI en route to All-State and All-Conference selections and an invite to the Team USA Tournament of Stars tryout.

COACH GILL ON BROWN: Brown is a big physical catcher out of Ohio. He is already a skilled catch-and-throw player and he should bring some potential to the middle of our lineup in the future. He has a similar build to our current starting catcher, Colton Plaia, and we think that Cassidy is already refined enough to play a role for us early in his career.

JD Busfield | RHP | 6'6 | 215 | Valencia HS
Busfield was named a "Player to Watch" in the LA Daily News 2012 Baseball Preview and was also ranked as a National High Follow player according to Perfect Game. Busfield, a member of the SoCal Cubs Scout Team in 2012, pitched over 44 innings with a 2.35 ERA while issuing just five walks last year for Valencia High School.

COACH GILL ON BUSFIELD: Busfield is a big right-hander pitcher with a very high ceiling. He already has command of his pitches and is a strike thrower. We as a coaching staff feel that with time and development, JD will be a hard-throwing right-hander, but given his ability to throw strikes, he will be extremely valuable for us right away.

Tyler Cohen | INF | 6'0 | 180 | R/R | Agoura HS
Cohen is a four-year varsity starter for Agoura High School. The infielder helped guide his team to the Marmonte League Championship last year after hitting .283 with 17 runs scored and 14 RBI. He also posted six doubles with 14 stolen bases. Cohen is listed as the 180th-best 2013 prospect in the country according to Perfect Game.

COACH GILL ON COHEN: Cohen is a very skilled and physical middle infielder with a high ceiling and solid baseball instincts. He has a strong arm and stellar foot speed, and he will have the chance to hit in the middle of our lineup down the road. As we are with all of the recruits in this class, we are extremely excited to have Tyler joining our program.

David Fletcher | INF | 5'10 | 175 | R/R | Cypress HS
Fletcher, a member of the 2012 Angels Elite Scout Team, has garnered All-Empire League honors in each of his first three years at Cypress High School. As a junior, Fletcher earned first team All-CIF and second team All-County selections. The 2011 and 2012 Cypress Defensive Player of the Year earned second team ESPN All-State Underclass in his junior year. David, along with fellow 2014 commit Brenton Arriaga, helped the So Cal Renegades to the 2012 Connie Mack World Series Championship while also earning All-Tournament selections at the National Classic and Gates World Series in 2011 and 2012. Fletcher, who is listed as the 243rd-best 2013 prospect in the nation according to Perfect Game, hit .414 with 48 hits and 18 stolen bases last year. He struck out just once in 133 plate appearances while scoring 34 runs in 32 games played.

COACH GILL ON FLETCHER: Fletcher is a defensive wizard that can defend with anyone in the country. He is a smart player with unbelievable baseball instincts, and he has the ability to solidify any team in the nation's middle infield. Offensively, he understands how to play and can skill to move guys over. We see him as a top of the order type of hitter who can run well.

Matt Gorgolinski | RHP | 6'5 | 225 | Serra HS
Gorgolinski, who plays his summer baseball for Trosky Baseball, missed the bulk of the summer recruiting circuit due to a broken thumb, and is a stellar find for the LMU coaching staff. The big right-hander competed on the Mariners Scout Team, and earned a spot in his Scoutball All-Star Game in 2012.

COACH GILL ON GORGOLINSKI: Gorgolinski is another big right-handed pitcher. He has been clocked up to 93 and has a high ceiling. Matt has a very strong arm and a big body to go along with some command of his pitches, and we feel that with some development we can turn him into a star at this level.

Austin Miller | OF | 6'0 | 160 | L/R | Greeley West HS
Miller earned honorable mention All-Conference honors as a sophomore before earning a first team selection last year as a junior. The speedy outfielder hit .525 and slugged .852 as a junior after hitting .403 with a .476 on base percentage as a sophomore. A well-rounded student-athlete, Miller has also garnered Academic All-State honorable mention honors after his junior year. In 2010, Miller helped his team to a District Championship and a 4A State Final-Four appearance.

COACH GILL ON MILLER: Miller is a guy that can really run, and another player with a very high ceiling. We were fortunate to see him play in Arizona, and we project him as a player that will be asked to hit at the top of lineup down the road. Austin can cover a ton of ground in the outfield, and that will play to our advantage in a big centerfield at Page Stadium.

"We had a recruiting class ranked 23rd in the nation a couple years ago, and we've started to see those players develop into the talented players we knew they would be," Gill stated. "After taking a look at the class we have coming in next year, it is stacking up very well with the one from two years ago, and is strong in comparison to everyone in the country."

The 2013 season begins on February 15 when LMU hosts Utah in a three-game series at Page Stadium.

Brenton Arriaga

Cassidy Brown

JD Busfield

Tyler Cohen

David Fletcher

Matt Gorgolinski

Austin Miller