Toreros Place Two In Fab 50

Jan. 17, 2006

Baseball America came out with its list of Fab 50 Freshmen and the USD Toreros have two players listed in the top-20, Brian Matusz and Josh Romanski. San Diego is one of just six schools, and the only California program, to land two players in the top-20 out of the Fab 50 list. USD is joined by Texas, Arizona State, South Carolina, Mississippi and Virginia. Matusz (ranked No. 11) and Romanski (ranked No. 16) are the two main reasons that Baseball America tabbed the Toreros with the 12th-best recruiting class for this upcoming season. "All the credit goes to Eric Valenzuela, our recruiting coordinator, for landing these guys," said head coach Rich Hill. "He did a phenomenal job and we expect these two players to make an immediate impact with our program."

Matusz, a 6-4 left-handed pitcher from Cave Creek, Arizona (St. Mary's HS), was a 2005 4th-round draft pick by the Califoria Angels. Last year he was named the Arizona Player of the Year and an All-American by Baseball America. He finished with an 8-1 record and outstanding 0.5 ERA. During his junior year he was 8-2 overall with a 0.95 ERA, and was tabbed First Team All-State. He is a projected starter this season for the Toreros.

Romanski, a 6-0 left-handed pitcher from Corona, California (Norco HS), was the top high school pick by the San Diego Padres organization. He earned All-State honors at Norco HS after recording a 10-1 record with a 0.42 ERA and 130 strikeouts. He is also an offensive threat after batting .510 with 8 homers and 45 RBIs during his senior year.