MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine baseball team signed five recruits for the 2009 season during the early signing period, including the #32 ranked recruit in the nation according to Baseball America.

 

The Waves signed outfielders Brian Humprhies (El Cajon, Calif./Granite Hills HS), Tyler Brubaker (Valencia, Calif./Saugus HS) and Ryan Van Amburg (Campbell, Calif./St. Francis HS), outfielder/pitcher Aaron Gates (Villa Park, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) and infielder/pitcher Dimitri de la Fuente (West Covina, Calif./South Hills HS).

 

“This is a very exciting recruiting class as we were very specific about our needs and the holes we will be looking to fill next year,” Pepperdine Coach Steve Rodriguez said. “We feel each of these great players will contribute right away in some capacity.”

 

Humphries is a four-year letterman who was rated the 32nd best recruit in the nation for 2009 according to Baseball America. Humphries is a two-time all-league and all-county selection who led Granite Hills to the San Diego CIF Division I state crown in 2006 and was named to the San Diego Union-Tribune’s All-Academic First Team.

 

“Brian Humphries is a very exciting player who has unlimited potential,” Rodriguez said. “He has the frame to put on some weight and strength and with our new strength and conditioning program will become a dominant force offensively and defensively.  He really opened some eyes in the Area Code Games and we are very excited about him being a Wave.”

 

Brubaker is a three-year letterman and two-time All-Santa Clarity Valley and All-Foothill League member at Saugus High School. Brubaker has captained Saugus for three seasons and was named the team’s offensive player of the year the last two seasons.

 

“Tyler Brubaker has tremendous power and will be an exciting player to watch as he develops,” Rodriguez said. “He has great speed and will be able to do some exciting things in the future.”

 

Van Amburg is a 2007 Under Armour All-American and West Catholic Athletic League All-League second team performer who competed in the 2007 California Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Game.

 

“Ryan Van Amburg has several tools which make him exciting like his speed and his ability to hit.” Rodriguez said. “He covers a lot of ground in the outfield and has great baseball instincts which make him very exciting.”

 

Gates is a four-year letterman and an All-Trinity League first team member who qualified for the Milwaukee Brewers Area Code Team and MLB’s Tournament of Stars in 2007.

 

“Aaron Gates might be one of the most talented athletes on the west coast,” Rodriguez said. “He can really hit and he is going to be a dominant force on the mound for us.  He resembles Randy Wolf, and with his consistent development, he will probably be as successful as Randy.”

                                                                                                                          

De la Fuente also was a member of the Brewers Area Code squad as well as a member of the Junior National Baseball Team. De la Fuente is a dual sport star at South Hills, as he was named an All-League first team member in baseball and football.

 

“Dimitri de la Fuente is going to fit right in with our always consistent defense,” Rodriguez said. “He has great range and a solid arm from third base.  His ability to hit really opened a lot of eyes this summer, and Dimitri is also a player who can pitch and we are excited about that as well.  He was probably one of the most consistent and exciting players to watch this summer and we are looking forward to seeing him in a Waves uniform.”