Basketball Star Willkomm and Four Baseball Players Sign with Four-Year Universities
The most lethal three-point shooter in Allan Hancock College men's basketball history and four heralded baseball players made their verbal commitments official Wednesday during a signing ceremony in the gymnasium. Matt Willkomm scored an opportunity to continue his basketball career at Arizona Christian University, a NAIA program located in Phoenix, Arizona. Hancock baseball pitcher Skylar Bischoff signed with Jarvis Christian in Texas. Pitchers Isaiah Ramos and Chance Miranda committed to Division II programs. Ramos will head to Chico State and Miranda to Clarion University in Pennsylvania. Outfielder Colby Barrick committed to University of California, Santa Barbara.
Willkomm was a two-time All-Western State Conference First Team selection at Hancock under head coach Tyson Aye. The Arroyo Grande High School graduate averaged 16.4 points and 2.8 assists per game as a sophomore. He shot 44.6 percent from three-point range. Willkomm holds program records for most three-point baskets in a single-season with 90, and most career three-pointers with 150. The 6'1" guard averaged 12 points as a freshman to help the Bulldogs win a share of the Western State Conference title.
"I came back to play basketball at Hancock and get a chance to save money, improve my game and get an opportunity to play at a four-year university," said Willkomm, who transferred to Hancock after attending Northern Arizona University for one season. "The past few years have been nothing but a great time and a great experience. I learned a lot from all my teammates and I learned a lot of leadership skills from this past season as being the only returner."
Arizona Christian is coming off a 23-9 season that included its fourth straight appearance in the NAIA Division I National Championship. The Firestorm lost to top-seeded Georgetown in the second round of the tournament. ACU is led by Jeff Rutter, who in his four years as head coach has guided the Firestorm to four seasons of at least 20 wins and four NAIA postseason appearances. The Firestorm compete in the Golden State Athletics Conference.
Ramos (pictured below, right) enjoyed a breakout season on the mound for Hancock, his first season as a pitcher. He went 9-0 with a 3.04 ERA. The right-hander led the conference in wins and posted the highest single-season win total by a Hancock pitcher in 15 years. Ramos, a Righetti High School graduate, was a utility infielder on the Bulldogs his freshman season who had six hits in 39 plate appearances. During the offseason he asked coaches to give him a shot at pitching, and the request paid off.
"It's just unreal because it came out of the blue," said Ramos, who said he pitched one or two innings at Righetti High School. "I didn't really picture being a pitcher this year. But whatever I could do to help out the team, I was willing to do. I am really excited about what I accomplished and I'm ready to just take it to the next level."
Chico State, a Division II program, just won its first California Collegiate Athletic Association championship in 10 years to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Chico State is seeded fourth in the West Region and making the program's 16th NCAA appearance in the last 21 years.
Fueled by a 17-game hitting streak, Barrick (pictured above, left) led the Bulldogs in nearly every major offensive category this season. He led the Western State Conference with a .388 batting average, five triples and 13 stolen bases. The Santa Ynez High School graduate also led the Bulldogs with five home runs, 22 walks, 37 runs scored, 45 hits, .507 on-base percentage and .681 slugging percentage. He led the conference in batting average, triples, tied for the lead in stolen bases and ranked third in home runs. The Preseason All-American finished with a .351 career batting average and the program's all-time leader with nine career triples.
Barrick committed to play at UCSB. The Gauchos are in the race this season for a Big West Conference title and second straight NCAA Regional appearance.
"Santa Barbara is unreal, everything from their program to their demeanor on the baseball field to the coaching staff," said Barrick. "Something about how they value baseball is what drew me in. I went down there on a visit with my dad, and right away, once we stepped on the field, we were like, this is it."
Bischoff (pictured below, left) will head to Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas. The Bulldogs, a NAIA-program, finished the 2016 season 27-29 overall. Bischoff went 0-2 with one save and a 4.35 ERA for Hancock his sophomore season. The right-hander struck out 22 in 20 2/3 innings. The Righetti High School graduate went 3-2 with a 4.43 ERA as a freshman.
Miranda (pictured above, right), a left-handed pitcher, will head to Clarion, a Division II program in Clarion, Pennsylvania. The Righetti High School graduate went 2-3 with a 3.40 ERA for the Bulldogs in 2016. In two seasons, Miranda went 3-4 with one save. He pitched a total of 72 2/3 innings over 30 games in his career with a 3.34 ERA. Clarion, a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletics Conference (PSAC), finished the 2016 regular season 10-32 overall.
Outfielder Hunter Christensen signed with Campbellsville University in Kentucky, but was not present for the ceremony. He earned Second Team All-Conference honors as a sophomore when he hit .296 with 10 doubles, three triples, two home runs and 14 RBI. The Campbellsville Tigers just won the Mid-South Conference Tournament to earn an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament. Former Bulldog Riley Joyce is hitting .276 with 25 RBI as a junior for the Tigers.
A handful of baseball and men's basketball players could make decisions in the coming weeks. First baseman Jacob Tonascia, and left-handed pitcher Kyle King are weighing offers from four-year universities.
Hancock baseball head coach Chris Stevens said every sophomore from this year's team has been accepted to and plans to attend a four-year university for academic or athletic reasons in the fall.