The duo of pitcher JJ Almeda and outfielder Jason Givens are the first two Cerritos College baseball players who have signed with four-year colleges. Almeda, a 1st Team All-South Coast Conference selection as a freshman, has signed with Colorado Mesa University, while Givens inked with the University of La Verne. Mesa is an NCAA Division II program, while La Verne is a Division III school.

As a sophomore, Almeda went 2-5 on the year with a 6.38 ERA and struck out 30 batters in 42 1/3 innings. After beginning the season as a starting pitcher, Alemda settled into a relief role and had a stretch of 10 2/3 innings where he allowed just one earned run and struck out six batters. He earned both of his wins in relief, with his longest outing being six innings against Fresno City College and limited to Rams to two runs (one earned) and just one hit. He was unhittable at times in his freshman campaign and went 2-2 in 61 innings with a 3.54 ERA and 48 strikeouts. His last two starts of the season resulted in wins, and allowed one run, seven hits and 11 strikeouts in the final 17 innings of the season.

He'll be joining a Mavericks (48-11) team that won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and tournament championships this past season and entered the NCAA Division II Super Regional Playoffs on a 20-game winning streak. Their season ended with a pair of losses to #3-ranked Angelo State University. Almeda will fill the role of one of the four graduating right-handed pitchers.

Givens was a two-year starter as an outfielder and hit at a .183 clip his sophomore season, while he drove in 13 runs and stole six bases. He recorded consecutive three-hit games against Rio Hondo College and Compton College, which included driving in three runs, drew a walk and stole a base in the latter game. As a freshman, Givens hit .218 with 13 RBI and eight stolen bases. He went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI against San Joaquin Delta College and also had a 3-for-5 game and scored three times against Rio Hondo

This past season, the Leopards went 32-18 and advanced to the NCAA Division III Super Regional after scoring 53 runs in four games at the NCAA Regional Tournament. Their season ended in the third game of a series against East Texas Baptist University. As a great defensive outfielder and speedy baserunner, Givens will be looked to add to La Verne's 60 stolen bases last season and solidfy their defense in the outfield, as the team loses just one player to graduation.