|
Dons' Arizmendi Drafted by Mets in 33rd Round;
Taloa Tabbed By Dodgers In 35th Round
SANTA ANA, CA - Santa Ana College sophomore all-America pitcher Daniel Arizmendi (Nogales HS) became the first Dons' baseball player to be selected in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft when the New York Mets took him in the 33rd round with the 989th overall pick.
The lefthander from Nogales High School led the Dons to a share of their second consecutive Orange Empire Conference title and 17th overall. Arizmendi was named the OEC Pitcher of the Year after posting a perfect
7-0 record and a 2.65 ERA in league play. The lefthander led Santa Ana with a 9-2 overall record and a 3.25 ERA in 102.1 innings pitched. He tossed one complete game while striking out 80 and walking 53 in 16 appearances.
As a freshman in 2003, Arizmendi appeared in nine games making six starts. He finished the season with a 2-3 record with a 7.48 ERA. He gave up 27 runs in 27.2 innings and struck out 29  while walking 26.
Despite being slighted by the OEC baseball coaches when it came to the 2005 all-conference selections, Rick Taloa (Esperanza HS) made a name for himself in post-season workouts as the Los Angeles Dodgers nabbed the sophomore first baseman in the 35th round with the 1,066th overall pick. Taloa batted .305 (59 of 193) as the Dons' everyday first baseman and led the team with 18 home runs and 59 RBI. Of his 59 hits 31 were for extra bases including 11 doubles and two triples. Defensively, the former Esperanza High School-product finished the 2005 season with a .983 fielding percentage committing just eight errors in 458 opportunities.
Former Santa Ana all-American outfielder Trevor Mortensen (Don Lugo HS), who is currently playing at California State University, Fullerton, was also taken in the 33rd round when the Cleveland Indians redrafted him with the 994th overall pick. A year ago, the Indians drafted Mortensen in the 43rd round (1275th). While at Santa Ana, Mortensen was named the OEC Player of the Year while leading the Dons in 10 offensive categories including batting average (.503), at bats (155), runs scored (73), hits (78), doubles (15), home runs (13), total bases (136), slugging percentage (.877), on-base percentage (.577) and stolen bases (18). Mortensen was also second on the team in triples (2) and walks (17), and third in RBI (45) and hit by pitch (10).
|
