Cal State Fullerton baseball coach Dave Serrano has announced the signing of 13 players to letters of intent for the season a year from now, but admits some may sign professional contracts instead of playing in college.
The list is headed by 6-foot-4 left-handed pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who will enter his senior season at Santa Monica High ranked as the eighth best prospect nationally for pro ball.
Players traditionally sign college letters of intent, and then decide whether or not to skip college depending on the amount of money offered by the major league team that drafts them.
“The challenge ahead of us is to see how many of them will be able to stick to their educational commitment, as many have the opportunity to play professionally out of high school,” said Serrano. “Our fingers are crossed.”
Skaggs is the highest rated of Fullerton’s signees. The next highest rated is Matt Hobgood of Norco High, a pitcher ranked No. 22.
Skaggs will be the ace of Coach Rob Duron’s Samohi staff in the upcoming season. Last season he was named Ocean League Player Of The Year, all-CIF first team and a second team high school All-American.
Skaggs, the son of Samohi softball coach Debbie Skaggs, compiled a 1.09 ERA with 89 strikeouts as a junior. He pitched a 10-inning complete game shutout of Culver City with no walks.
Skaggs, who played basketball on Samohi’s junior varsity team last season and was on scheduled to advance to the varsity, decided to pass up his senior year of basketball in order to concentrate on baseball.
