Baseball: Three more players make four-year commitments

Gary James is one of three more baseball players to sign
Gary James is one of three more baseball players to sign

Three more members of the Cerritos College baseball team have made decisions on their future colleges, bringing their total number to six who have made commitments. Both catcher Gary James and outfielder Fermin Beza have signed with Cal State Dominguez Hills, while outfielder Mark Pena has verbally committed to Cal State Bakersfield. The join the trio of shortstop Daniel Lopez (University of Portland), pitcher Jerald Johnston (Oklahoma Wesleyan University) and utility player Mike Heenan (Chico State University) who have also signed with their schools.

Pena was named 1st Team All-South Coast Conference after finishing the season with a team-leading .364 batting average to go along with a team-high 60 hits. He added 14 doubles, four triples and 32 RBI, while leading the team with 17 stolen bases. Dating back to last season, Pena set a new school record with a 32-game hitting streak.

He will be joining a Cal State Bakersfield team that went 19-37 last season and had a great chance of making the starting lineup.

Beza was a 2nd Team all-conference pick after batting .328 with 28 RBI. He finished second on the team with 29 walks and tied for team lead with four triples. Beza was solid on defense and committed just one error in 69 chances. James caught every game for the Falcons and finished with a .288 batting average with 11 doubles and 29 RBI.

The Toros went 22-28 on the season and graduate one of their five catchers that were on the roster. They had four outfielders on the roster and graduated one of them, while the other three played most of the games.