July 30, 2008

DAVIS, Calif. - UC Davis head baseball coach Rex Peters has signed transfers Matthew Lewis and Tim Busbin to a National Letter of Intent during the spring signing period. In addition, Jared Thompson has signed a grant-in-aid agreement. All three are expected to enroll at UC Davis beginning in the fall of 2008.

"We anticipate that all three of these student-athletes will make immediate impacts and help us fill some holes created by the loss of athletes in the recent (Major League Baseball) draft," said Peters. "All three are experienced players who have had success at the junior college level and should be a good mix with our high school recruits to keep us competitive in 2009."

Lewis, who attended Enterprise High School in Redding, transfers from Shasta College. In 2008 he won three games and finished third on the team with 34 strikeouts and was second with two saves in 37.1 innings. As a prep player, Lewis played soccer and baseball in the Eastern Athletic League. He is also an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America.

"Lewis is a big right-handed pitcher with a 90-plus fastball and a power slider," said Peters. "He has really made strides this summer and has tremendous potential."

Busbin attended Saint Francis High School in Mountain View and transfers to UC Davis from the College of San Mateo. Last season Busbin led San Mateo with a .337 batting average, 11 doubles, eight home runs, 47 RBI's and 94 total bases while also striking out 35 batters and earning two wins and five saves in 21 appearances. Busbin's numbers earned him first-team All-Coast Conference honors as a utility player. Busbin spent his freshman season at Loyola Marymount where he played with current Aggie Ty Kelly. During that season Busbin appeared in seven games, making one start and striking out four batters in 7.2 innings. At Saint Francis, Busbin earned All-West Catholic Athletic League honors as a senior with a 7-2 record and a 1.56 ERA. He also served as a team captain that season.

"Busbin has a good arm and a plus breaking ball, but also put up strong offensive numbers last year as a first baseman and designated hitter," said Peters. "He could help us offensively with some good power from the right side of the plate."

Thompson went to Edison Computech High School in Fresno and transfers from Fresno City College. Also a utility player, Thompson played 16 games and pitched in four others in addition to driving in 13 runs in 34 at bats and hitting two home runs. A prep standout, Thompson earned back-to-back North Yosemite League MVP honors and was a Central Coast Section MVP as a junior. He also boasts all-league honors in all four seasons and all-state honors once. Thompson also led his team to two league titles and made the section championships. Academically, Thompson was a high school valedictorian with a 4.326 GPA and was a member of the dean's list at Fresno City College.

"Thompson is also a two-way player (P/OF), but will most likely be a good run producer in the middle of our lineup," said Peters. "He has a good approach at the plate and has above average power."

The Aggies have now signed a total of 11 student-athletes for the upcoming 2009 season.

UC Davis Aggies Baseball

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