13 HORNETS FLYING TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Fullerton College head baseball coach Chad Baum completed his 5th season and it is safe to say he should be more than proud of the 2023-24 Hornets. The Hornets completed their season with an overall record of 25-19. The talents of these players, motivation and coaching methods are what led them to the Super Regionals for the second time in two seasons.  

Diego Franco: Franco is an outstanding outfielder and his stats reflect that. In November of 2023 Franco made the decision to sign with University of Hawaii. He completed the season with 207 plate appearances, 43 games, 34 RBI, 3 home runs along with an on base percentage of .391 and a slugging percentage of .407. Diego stated that "I look at every game differently, and because of that I think that's how I ended up with the stats I received." 

Trevor Schmidt: Schmidt is an exceptional player and with his stats after this season it is safe to say he has natural ability. In April of 2024 he decided to take his abilities and talent to LSU. With the season ending Trevor's stats reflected his talent when he finished with 44 games, 215 plate appearances, 61 RBI, 13 home runs, 3 of which were accomplished in a single game, and an on base percentage of .451 and his slugging percentage of .697. When asked, Schmidt stated "I feel like I did very well but, I left a lot of potential on the table."

Britton Beeson: During Beeson's time as a Hornet, he made an impact not only during his 2 seasons here but for seasons to come. Britton and Diego committed to the University of Hawaii during November. 2 outstanding outfielders, each one knowing how the other one plays. In the 2023/2024 season his at bats came to a total of 370, and his 2023/2024 RBI totaled out to 118. Beeson finished his 2024 season with 44 games, 221 plate appearances, 52 RBI, 11 home runs, including an on base percentage of .416 and a slugging percentage of .591. When asked, Beeson said "I felt I did well in my last season. I really wasn't chasing stats; I was mainly chasing getting better. Do I think I could've done better? Yes, am I proud of myself? Yes, did I become a better player from when I started at Fullerton to when I ended? Yes, so in my book I think my season was a success."  

Ari Kligman: Kligman, who is a right-handed pitcher, decided in June that he would take his skills to Sacramento State. His brother Elie Kligman committed a year before him and Ari will be joining his brother this fall. Kligman finished the 2024 season off with 16 game appearances, 3 wins, 3 losses, an ERA of 7.47, 62.2 innings pitched, and a WHIP of 1.77. Kligman said, "with the stats I received at the end of this season I felt as if I could've done better but since the season ended, I noticed a lot of growth in me."

Jared Sawyer: Jared, a right-handed pitcher, committed to Cal State Stanislaus back in June. He ended his sophomore season with a game appearance of 17, 2 wins including 1 save, an ERA of 3.12, totaled 34.2 innings pitched and had a WHIP of 1.15.When Sawyer was asked how he feels about his performance of his season he said "I know I had a solid year but as a player I felt as if I could've done better and pushed myself more."

Landon Runge: In July of 2024, Runge committed to University of Jamestown. As a student athlete Landon excelled on and off the field. He received the Nick Fuscardo Award, a leadership role which he received in May. Along with excelling off the field his talent on the field can't go unrecognized. His season ended with 43 games, 187 plate appearances, 13 RBI, an on base percentage of .407 and his slugging percentage of .313. Landon stated that "I felt I did a solid job, but I know that there is always room for improvement in my book."

Matt Romero: Romero is a starting left-handed pitcher who committed to California State University, San Bernardino in July. Romero finished his sophomore season with 14 game appearances, started 12 games, completed 5 wins,3 losses, had a total of 62.2 innings pitched, along with an ERA of 4.74 and a WHIP of 1.52. Romero told "I feel pretty good about my stats from my 2024 spring season, there was definitely room for my improvement and there always will be."

Vincent Segovia: Segovia is a left-handed pitcher who committed to the University of Arkansas Monticello back in July of 2024. Vincent finished his season with 14 game appearances, 4 wins, 2 losses, a total of 63.1 innings pitched, with an ERA of 4.12, and had a total WHIP of 1.26. Segovia made the statement by saying "I feel I did my best for the team, and I was able to see where my improvement was needed. With this being my first season as a starter I felt I was able to have quality starts but keep my team in the game"

Ryan Kirk: Ryan committed to Southeastern Oklahoma State back in July of 2024. During his fall season during a scrimmage Kirk showed bunt but fouled it back which resulted in the ball bunting off his face which fractured his orbital floor and surgery was needed to repair. While healing during the fall season he came back for spring better than ever. He finished his spring season with 42 games, 202 plate appearances, 27 RBI, 4 homeruns, an on base percentage of .416 and a slugging percentage of .472. Kirk stated "I felt I did a good job but, I know I could've done better. I felt as if I held myself back based on past injuries and that's what stopped me from doing my best." 

Andrew Pyle: Pyle committed to Utah Tech University in June of 2024. As a catcher he had 42 game appearances, 150 at bats, 22 runs, 42 hits, 17 RBI, an on base percentage of .387 and a smuggling percent of .340. Pyle finished his sophomore season with a batting average of .280 along with a fielding percentage of .997. When Andrew was asked how he felt about his stats from his season he stated, "I know I did good, but I feel as though I could've done more."

Andrew Carren: Andrew is a Right-handed pitcher who committed to Cal Poly Pomona back in June. Carren had 18 game appearances, 4 wins, 3 losses, pitched a total of 29.1 innings, had an ERA of 3.68 and had a WHIP of 1.47. Carren quoted "I feel like I did pretty decently, but I know I could've done better."

Rudy Gonzales: Rudy, who is an outstanding outfielder, decided to take his skills to Hope University back in August of 2024. Gonzales finished his sophomore season with 35 game appearances, 149 plate appearances, 21 runs, 41 hits, 27 RBI, 3 home runs, an on base percentage of .429 along with his smuggling percentage coming to .528. When Rudy was asked, he said "I felt that I was very successful during the season. I trusted my coaches and learned from teammates. I think the environment of the dugout not only helped me but helped the whole team. Being around each other made us come together more as a team which resulted in us playing better."

Ethan Gibbs: Gibbs committed to La Sierra University back in July of 2024. He completed his sophomore season with 7 game appearances, 9 plate appearances, 1 RBI, an on base percentage of .444 and finished with a slugging percent of .333. Ethan that "I don't take my stats into consideration. Based on my stats I can't say if I had a good or bad year."

The 2023-24 team was filled with exceptional talent along with a ton of heart. With the help of these 13 players, the Hornets made it possible to reach the Super Regionals fior the second consecutive seson. Each of these players with the help of Coach Baum, and the entire coaching staff they were able to reach four-year college status. With returners and newcomers of the 2024/2025 team no one can tell what this new team will do or how far they will go. Coach Baum stated

"The 2023 recruiting class was an incredibly experienced group of young men. These players contributed a lot of wins along with having a back-to-back playoff appearances. Each player worked hard on their own, which led them to where they are today. As a coach, I am very happy to pass on 13 talented players to four-year colleges, 5 of which are going D1, which testifies to their hard work, the culture of this program along with tradition."

Story by Kailee Avina