College commitments continue as summer arrives

The “short arm” of Cal State Bakersfield’s baseball recruiting, as coach Jeremy Beard calls it, has grabbed another key local prospect.

After setting Ridgeview career records for home runs (as a hitter) and strikeouts and ERA (as a pitcher), senior Jacob Gutierrez announced his commitment to CSUB on Friday.

The shortstop/pitcher, who was the B Varsity All Area Player of the Year as a junior, led the Wolf Pack to a 2021 SoCal Regional Division IV championship with a go-ahead grand slam against Royal High School in Simi Valley. His production at the plate continued in 2022, as he batted .561, slugging .949 with seven home runs, albeit in a less momentous season for the Wolf Pack overall.

Gutierrez had previously verbally committed to Division II CSU Dominguez Hills in November. Instead, he will join a CSUB roster that also features former Ridgeview pitcher Benji Caggianelli. In terms of local products, the Roadrunners’ recruiting class for next season also includes catcher Logun Clark (Taft High) and pitchers Brock Barron (Liberty/Bakersfield College) and David Villegas (Centennial/BC).

After reaching far afield to Croatia (Helena Valentic), Estonia (Anna Lensment) and Sweden (Arvid Wandesjo) for talent, the CSUB track and field team has also picked up BC sprinter Julie Johnson, previously of Highland. Johnson became one of two All-Americans for BC this past season after finishing fourth at the state championships in the 400 meters. The Roadrunners previously announced the commitment of Liberty distance runner Julia Gamino.

Of course, plenty of local athletes choose to attend

college beyond the valley. Next year, Matt Torres, the Stockdale leadoff man who ended the season as the Mustangs’ top hitter in batting average (at .495), will join St. Mary’s, a Division I school in Moraga that competes in the West Coast Conference. Torres will be part of the Gaels’ 2023 class, and will reunite with Adam Enyart, a fellow member of this year’s championship Stockdale squad, who is headed to Moraga this fall.

Another Stockdale product, Lenee Chavez, will join Division II Southwest Minnesota State’s women’s soccer team as a defender this fall. Chavez received an all-Southwest Yosemite League honorable mention this last season for the Mustangs.

Wyoming has added a third football player from Bakersfield to its roster, with guard Ethan Shipp of Garces joining as a preferred walk-on. The Cowboys already feature redshirt freshman J.J. Uphold, also from Garces, and now converted to offensive tackle, and former Bakersfield Christian defensive back Keonte Glinton.

Plenty of local volleyball players also are moving on to the next level. The Prescott sisters, twin outside hitters Nariah and Nya, who excelled at Centennial, have both committed to Division II Chico State. Both were firstteam All-Area, with Nariah leading the Golden Hawks in kills per set. Ashley Herman of BCHS also officially signed with New Mexico State, which plays in Division I, after the

school announced her commitment in November. Herman had a .367 hitting percentage in her career with the Eagles and was also a goalkeeper on the Central Section championship-winning soccer team.

ELIZA GREEN / THE CALIFORNIAN Ridgeview’s Jacob Gutierrez delivers a pitch against Centennial in the Central Section Division II baseball playoffs. Gutierrez recently committed to Cal State Bakersfield.

ELIZA GREEN / THE CALIFORNIAN Stockdale’s Matt Torres rounds first base on his way to second during the Division I CIF SoCal playoff game against Villa Park. Though he still has a year left at Stockdale, Torres has committed to play college baseball at St. Mary’s.