Eight Bulldogs Sign NCAA National Letters of Intent During Early Sign Period
November 17, 2011

Pitcher Adrian Sampson signed with the University of Oregon. photo by Rich Dworkis

Bellevue College baseball had eight players sign this week with NCAA 4-year universities across the country. Six of them landed scholarships in two of the most prestigious baseball conferences in the country; three in the Pac-12 and another three in the Big West Conference.

Reigning NWAACC Championship MVP and Major League draft prospect Tyler Baumgartner along with teammate Adrian Sampson accepted scholarships to play at the University of Oregon next fall. Teammate Jerad Casper, who is the leading returning home run hitter in the NWAACC (11 home runs with wood bat in 2011) and another prospect for the upcoming Major League draft, will go to cross-state rival, Oregon State University.

Returning relief pitcher Andrew Groves, who sports the top statistics of any returning Bulldog pitcher, signed a letter of intent to NCAA Division II Northwest Nazarene Unversity.

PItcher Matt Cooper signed with the University of Hawaii. photo by Rich Dworkis

Shortstop Willy Reel signed with San Jose State University. The Spartans are re-connecting their ties with the Bellevue program. Spartan Head Coach Sam Piraro and Bellevue's Mark Yoshino have had ties dating back to the mid 1990's when outfielder Scott Lewis transferred to SJSU and is now in their Hall of Fame for his standout career at San Jose State.

A trio of right-handed pitchers, Bryan Burgher, Matt Cooper, and Scott Kuzminsky all signed with the University of Hawaii. Currently in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), the Warriors will join the Big West Conference next year when the three Bellevue pitchers arrive on campus. The addition of Hawaii's baseball program in the Big West, which already includes baseball powerhouse programs such as Long Beach State, UC Irvine, and Cal-State Fullerton, makes it one of the premier conferences in the country.

Pitcher Scott Kuzminsky signed with the University of Hawaii. photo by Rich Dworkis

"Congratulations to these eight players. Their scholarships are a reflection of what our program is famous for; player development to create opportunities for the future. While we are excited for these eight who have solidified their college choices for next year, the high number of early signs is an indication of how deep our entire sophomore class is. The reality is we have many more sophomores who will be signing during the late period who we feel will contribute as much as these guys," says Yoshino.

Here are the links to the articles by the four-year universities who released announcements of their 2013 signing classes:

Baumgartner, Sampson-University of Oregon
Casper-Oregon State University
Burgher, Cooper, Kuzminsky - University of Hawaii
Reel-San Jose State University
Groves- Northwest Nazarene University

Pitcher Andrew Groves signed with Northwest Nazarene University. photo by Rich Dworkis

Third Baseman Jerad Casper signed with Oregon State University. photo by Rich Dworkis

Outfielder Tyler Baumgartner signed with the University of Oregon. photo by Rich Dworkis