St. Francis' David Olmedo-Barrera Commits to Cal State Fullerton

St. Francis shortstop David Olmedo-Barrera committed to baseball powerhouse Cal State Fullerton on Monday night, Golden Knights coach Brian Esquival confirmed Tuesday following a report in the L.A. Times.

Esquival said that Olmedo-Barrera garnered interest from Pac-12 programs UCLA and Oregon, San Luis Obispo as well as a number of smaller Division I schools on the east coast. Cal State Fullerton came into the mix after Rick Vanderhook left his role as UCLA’s hitting and outfield coach to become the new head coach of the Titans last month.

Olmedo-Barrera, a two-time All-Mission League selection, already was on Vanderhook’s radar, and it didn’t take long for Cal State Fullerton to become a possible destination.

“Rick Vanderhook is a very well respected baseball guy,” Esquival said. “(Olmedo-Barrera has) been going to UCLA camps under Vanderhook. He’s gotten to know him a little bit and he just felt comfortable playing for him.”

Olmedo-Barrera currently plays shortstop for St. Francis, but Esquival said the rising senior has the versatility to play all over the infield. Esquival said he could see Olmedo-Barrera playing second base for the Titans, but he didn’t rule out other possible positions.

Olmedo-Barrera has logged time at third base, shortstop and left and right field during his prep and club ball careers.

“He’s pretty comfortable at multiple positions,” Esquival said. “The fact that he can play here and play there is going to help him.”

Olmedo-Barrera’s commitment marks the second time in the last year that a Golden Knight has committed to a local Division I school. St. Francis catcher David Hubinger will play for Pepperdine next spring.

The potential benefits for the program of having a player commit to a school of Cal State Fullerton’s stature (the Titans have won four national championships and routinely advance to the Men’s College World Series) was not lost on Esquival.

“I think it’s great for the program,” Esquival said. “What it does is it tells kids I can go to St. Francis and go to Cal State Fullerton. So some of the kids we might not be getting might take a second look (at St. Francis).”