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Mertins and Rihn Sign to Play at Division-I Schools
SANTA ANA, CA - Kyle Mertins (El Dorado HS) and Casey Rihn (La Habra HS) have both signed national letters of intent to continue their baseball and academic careers at Division-I universities. Mertins recently signed with California State University , Fullerton while Rihn signed early with the University of South Carolina . Both have played a large role for the Santa Ana College baseball team and have helped lead the Dons to back-to-back Orange Empire Conference championships.
Mertins had limited playing time last season as a relief pitcher but came back to assert himself as one of the dominant starting pitchers in the Orange Empire Conference. He is currently 7-1 with a 2.50 ERA in 13 starts for the Dons. Mertins attributes his success to head coach Don Sneddon and the coaching staff at Santa Ana College .
“I've grown up a lot since last year,” Mertins said. “The coaches taught me a lot about the game, especially [Sneddon].”
Mertins received offers from the University of Oregon and several other Division-I schools but he said that the ability to stay close to home and attend school with his friends helped him make his decision. He also cited Fullerton 's success in baseball as a reason.
“I feel I have a better shot of going to Omaha at Fullerton ,” he said, referring to the College World Series held in Omaha , Nebraska .
Mertins' teammate for two years, Rihn, also received offers to attend Oregon but felt that South Carolina had more of a baseball atmosphere. Rihn originally came to Santa Ana because he didn't get any offers out of high school. He said that Santa Ana College 's reputation in baseball helped him choose Santa Ana over other community colleges.
“Coming to Santa Ana was the best choice I ever made,” Rihn said. “I'm playing for some of the best coaches I have ever been around.”
Rihn has been a consistent contributor for the Dons since he arrived last season as a freshman. This season, he is batting .319 with five home runs and 32 RBIs. Rihn was named to the First-Team All-Conference team last season while batting .368 with 47 RBIs. He had 18 doubles and was tied for second on the team with eight home runs.
“Casey had a year to establish himself,” Sneddon said. “And he did that and was able to sign early while this has been a breakout year for Kyle. I'm very happy for both of them.”
Mertins and Rihn are following several former Dons who have continued their careers at the four-year level. Last season, nine players received scholarships at four-year universities with another eight signing in 2006. During Sneddon's tenure, Santa Ana College has now transferred 180 student-athletes to play baseball and study at four-year universities.
Sneddon said that both players were well deserved of being signed and the fact that they were being pursued by some of the best baseball schools shows the drawing power of Santa Ana College baseball. |
