Two transfers are a hit

New players leading Mustang offense

It was a transfer of power. Or, really, two transfers with power. So far, Jaiden France and Preston White have added punch to a Master’s baseball lineup that lost several sluggers from last season’s NAIA World Series squad.

White, a junior transfer from Birmingham Southern College in Alabama and a 38thround pick of the Dodgers in 2017, has recorded nine extra-base hits and nine RBIs in 10 games. He’s hitting .514. France, a senior transfer from San Jose State, has a team-high 14 RBIs and a home run. This after a run home. A Santa Clarita Valley resident since 2005, France played at Golden Valley High before competing at NCAA Division 1s Grambling State and San Jose State, appearing as a pitcher for the latter in 22 games last year.

For France, Master’s provided a chance to play close to home and to relax at the plate.

He commutes from his family’s place in Canyon Country. He says he’s been more comfortable in a “nostalgic” environment and in his hitting sessions with TMU head coach Monte Brooks.

“Coach Brooks has been instilling the concentrate-and-relax principle that he shares with the whole team,” France said. “I took that to heart. In my career, I’ve been a tense player who never really let my body do what it can. (Brooks) has helped me relax my hands, relax my body, and it shows in my swing.”

France golfed a knee-high fastball over the left-center-field fence in the Mustangs’ second game against San Diego Christian on Saturday. He ended the three-game series with five hits and eight RBIs, despite NAIA No. 14 TMU (6-4) dropping two of three to the Hawks.