When baseball player Zach Lampreia and quarterback Curry Parham signed national letters of intent in the last few weeks, they raised this year’s total number of Allan Hancock College student-athletes who have signed letters of intent to four-year institutions to 19. The cherry on top of a successful 2015-2016 academic year came when the Houston Astros selected former Hancock pitcher Nathan Thompson in the 27th round of Major League Baseball’s 2016 First-Year Player Draf.
“Coaches, faculty, and staff at Hancock are dedicated to ensuring our student-athletes succeed in their respective sports and in the classroom,” Associate Dean and Athletics Director Kim Ensing said. “Helping students transfer to four-year universities is why we are all at the college.”
Lampreia accepted a scholarship to play next season at Campbellsville University to become the eighth member from Hancock’s 2016 baseball team to commit to a four-year institution. He followed in the footsteps of outfielder Colby Barrick, a Santa Ynez High School graduate who signed with UC Santa Barbara; Hunter Christensen, who signed with Campbellsville; pitcher Kyle King, who signed with Long Beach State; and Righetti High School graduates Isaiah Ramos (Chico State), Skylar Bischoff (Jarvis Christian), and Chance Miranda (Clarion University).
A total of eight football players signed scholarships after their sophomore seasons at Hancock. Kick returner and running back Malik Williams signed with University of Louisville, defensive end Kevon Perry committed to University of Louisiana-Lafayette, and cornerback DaMarion King signed with Louisiana Tech University. Arroyo Grande High School graduate Elijah Holt committed to Southern Utah University; safety Rafael Arellano, a Lompoc High School graduate, earned a scholarship to South Dakota School of Mines. Linemen Emose Haukoulua and Isaiah Hill, a Pioneer Valley high School graduate, earned opportunities to play at McPherson, a football program at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) level. Hancock quarterback Curry Parham, a graduate of St. Joseph High School, signed with Tabor College, a few weeks ago. Tabor is a NAIA program that finished the 2015 regular season ranked No. 8 in the nation.
After setting program records for most single-season and most career three-point baskets, Matt Willkomm earned an opportunity to play men’s basketball at Arizona Christian University. ACU has advanced to the NAIA Division I National Tournament the last four years.
“I came to Hancock to play basketball, save money, improve my game, and get a chance to play at a four-year university,” said Willkomm, an Arroyo Grande High School graduate. “The past few years have been nothing but a great time and a great experience. I learned a lot from my teammates and a lot of leadership skills.”
Softball star Judith Salazar, a two-time All-Conference First Team selection, signed with McPherson College in Kansas. The Righetti High School graduate ended her Hancock career ranked third all-time in program history with 86 RBI.
“I’m super excited to go and experience new things, continue to play ball, and get my bachelor’s degree,” said Salazar, who plans to major in elementary education to become a preschool or kindergarten teacher. “When I came to Hancock, I wanted to earn a scholarship to pay for college. Now that I have, it feels great to see my hard work, time, and effort pay off.”
Adrian Diaz, a Cabrillo High School graduate, became the first Hancock men’s soccer player to sign with a four-year institution in at least five years. Diaz accepted an offer to play at CSU Los Angeles, a program that has made five straight appearances in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Diaz, who plans to major in kinesiology, was Hancock’s leading scorer the last two seasons.
“I’m really thankful to Hancock because it opened up this window that I now have to play with Cal State L.A.,” Diaz said. “I want to thank coach Billy Vinnedge because he put in a lot of work to expose me to universities and helped me get to this point.”
The Astros made Thompson the first former Bulldog to be drafted in three years when they selected him with the 817th overall pick. He had just finished his senior season at Oklahoma Baptist University, where he helped the Bison win the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) national championship. The Santa Ynez High School graduate was a two-time All-Western State Conference First Team pick for Hancock in 2013-14. He ranks eighth all-time in Hancock history with 173.1 innings pitched and 143 strikeouts.
“We are proud of our student-athletes for working hard and succeeding to earn these opportunities. They will represent Hancock and the community well at the next level,” added Ensing.
During the 2015-2016 year, Hancock won five individual Western State Conference titles, and 50 student-athletes received All-Conference recognition.
Andrew Masuda is Interim Director, Public Affairs & Publications at Hancock College.
This article appears in Jun 30 – Jul 7, 2016.
