Canyons Baseball Sending Eight Players to Four-Year Schools

By Mari Kneisel/COC Sports Information  

After a momentous 2023 season, the College of the Canyons baseball program will send eight players to four-year universities to continue their academic and athletic careers.

The group of transfers includes Gavino Rosales, Brooks Snyder, Xavier Stoker, Jovan Camacho, Ryan Camacho, Dane Flashberg, Alex Sepulveda and Andy Ambriz, who were all influential in the Cougars' postseason run that ended just shy of a berth at the CCCAA State Championship Tournament.

Rosales, a 2023 All-Western State Conference (WSC), South Division Honorable Mention selection, has signed with Azusa Pacific University. APU is an NCAA Division II program out of the Pacific West Conference. He stood on the mound in 16 games for the Cougars procuring an impressive 6-0 record. The Birmingham High School alum worked in a total of 82 and 2/3 innings serving up 74 strikeouts with 21 walks and an ERA of 4.14. 

Snyder pitched 73 and 2/3 innings for the Cougars in 2023 before committing to Oklahoma Christian University (OCU), an NCAA Division II program competing in the Lone Star Conference. The sophomore out of Valencia High School made appearances in 18 games for COC, pitching to a 6-5 record with 70 strikeouts.

Stoker, who pitched two seasons at COC out of Canyon View High School in Cedar Creek, UT, will continue his career on the mound at Chaminade University of Honolulu (CHU) in Hawaii. CHU is an NCAA Division II program in the Pacific West Conference. Stoker finished 2023 with a 4.53 ERA across 34 appearances with a 2-2 record to go alongside two saves. He pitched in 43 and 2/3 innings with 45 strikeouts.

Jovan Camacho patrolled center field for COC and will now continue his career at West Texas A&M University, an NCAA Division II program, also in the Lone Star Conference. Ryan Camacho, who made his home in left field for the Cougars, will also be transferring to West Texas A&M University. Both products of West Ranch High School, as well as members of the COC football team, the Camacho twins each enjoyed success during their time on the diamond.

Jovan led the Cougars with 62 runs on 65 hits during the 2023 season, recording a .333 batting average and slugging a .467. He was responsible for 20 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, 16 doubles and two triples and received All-WSC, South Honorable Mention accolades for his accomplishments. Ryan finished the 2023 season batting a .307 and slugging .410. He brought in 43 RBIs while rounding the bases 31 times on 51 hits and recorded 10 doubles, two triples and a home run.

A workhorse behind the plate, Flashberg played in 36 games with the Cougars and will be next be moving on to the University of Hawaii at Hilo, an NCAA Division II program in the Pacific West Conference. Flashberg, who attended Damien High School, recorded 20 runs to go with 23 RBIs on 34 hits, including six doubles and two home runs. He finished the season with a .283 batting average while slugging a .387. 

Sepulveda thrived in the Cougar's lineup and will now look to continue his career at California State University at Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), an NCAA Division II program in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Crespi High School grad finished the 2023 season batting .295 and slugging .420. That led to a season stat line that included 38 RBIs and 34 runs, with eight doubles, two triples and four home runs.

This most recent group of seven transfers joins teammate and 2023 WSC, South Division Player of the Year, Andy Ambriz, in moving on to the next level. Ambriz had previously signed with UC San Diego after an accomplished sophomore season. 

Canyons finished the 2023 campaign with an overall record of 28-19 while going 13-8 in the WSC, South Division. The Cougars' postseason run included an opening-series win over No. 6 Orange Coast College and triumphs over No. 15 Southwestern and No. 22 Grossmont College in the Super Regional Round. COC then took a game over No. 2 Saddleback College before losing that series 2-1.

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.