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Santa Ana Tabbed Fifth By Collegiate Baseball In
Pre-Season Poll; Four OEC Teams Among Top 10
SANTA ANA, CA - On Saturday (January 1), the Santa Ana College baseball team found itself ranked among the Top 10 in Collegiate Baseball 's California Junior College Pre-Season Poll. The Dons begin the 2005 season ranked fifth in the state behind pre-season favorite Sacramento City College, Fresno City, 2004 California state champion Saddleback College and state runner-up Cypress College.
 Last year, Santa Ana finished 32-6 overall and won a share of its 16th conference title with a
16-5 mark. The Dons advanced to the second round of the 2004 Southern California Regionals before losing to eventual state champion-Saddleback, 17-12, in the single-elimination tournament.
Chabot College, Riverside Community College, Golden West College, East Los Angeles College and Santa Rosa Junior College round out Collegiate Baseball 's Top 10.
Santa Ana will be led by a pair of first team All-Orange Empire Conference selections in Jacob Vasquez and Matt Morris.
Vasquez, who split time at first base and designated hitter a year ago, batted .404 as a freshman with a team-high 56 RBI in 38 games. He became the first player in Santa Ana College history to hit back-to-back grand slams in a game when he accomplishment the feat against Saddleback. Last fall, Vasquez signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Texas A&M University in 2006.
Morris, meanwhile, finished his freshman campaign with a .378 batting average and 46 runs scored. He also drove in 34 RBI and was a perfect 13-for-13 in stolen base attempts. The El Modena-product has moved from third base to right field for his sophomore season.
Santa Ana will open its 2005 season at home on Tuesday, Febuary 1 when the Dons host Cerritos College at 2 p.m.
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