Gig Harbor locals thriving in college baseball

Michael Toglia’s draft stock just keeps rising.

Playing mostly first base at UCLA, the sophomore from Gig Harbor High School led the Bruins in RBI, doubles and walks. He earned all-Pac-12 honors, hitting .336 with 51 runs scored and 58 RBI, powering 11 home runs and 24 doubles.

“It’s definitely an honor,” Toglia said. “It’s a very prestigious conference. Any accolade is a big deal. That’s up there as one of my most proud accomplishments.

“I’d like to see some of those doubles turn into home runs,” Toglia said, who had a .588 slugging percentage. “A lot of those went off the wall. But I love doubles, too.”

Toglia will be eligible for the 2019 Major League baseball draft after his junior season. Fangraphs ranks him among the top 60 players in the draft.

He’s already proved to be one of college baseball’s top hitters. The switch-hitter ranked in the top 100 in the NCAA in doubles (10th), walks (37th), sacrifice flies (51st), RBI (61st), total bases (79th), slugging percentage (96th) and on-base percentage (98th).

Toglia said playing as a true freshman — when he was named to the freshman all-America team — paved the way for bigger and better things in his sophomore year.

“I just went in with a lot more confidence this year,” he said. “You’ve been there before, you know what to expect. You know you belong there. Freshman year, you’re fighting to belong. Sophomore year was totally different.”

Toglia’s best games of the season came against cream of the crop in college baseball. Against his crosstown rivals, he went 3-for-4 with two home runs and a career-high seven RBI against USC on April 21. He had two homer night against No. 2 Stanford on April 7, in which he drove in six runs and he had another two homer game against Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 27.

“It was a super fun season,” Toglia said. “My teammates are going to be my lifelong friends. We had a good season and finished with a good record.”

UCLA recorded two wins in the regional round, beating Gonzaga twice, and losing to Minnesota twice to finish with a 2-2 record in the postseason. The Bruins posted a 38-21 overall record and a 19-11 mark in the Pac-12 conference.

“We got a taste of winning in the playoffs,” Toglia said. “We went 0-2 my freshman year, so it was good to get a taste of that.”

As for his MLB future, Toglia was open regarding his plans after his junior season, if everything goes according to plan.

“I plan to come out (for the draft),” Toglia said.

The chatter of Toglia being an early-round pick (possibly even a first-round pick) is nice, but Toglia said he tries to ignore it for the most part, and focus on what he can control.

“I just try to work hard, make the best case for myself as a player and as a person,” he said.

Other locals

Patrick Fredrickson, pitcher, Minnesota: It was an unbelievable freshman season for the 6-foot-6 right-hander and Gig Harbor High grad.

Fredrickson was named the National Freshman Pitcher of the Year by Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA after making 19 appearances, including 15 starts for the Gophers. Also selected as the Big Ten Pitcher and Freshman of the Year, the right-hander posted a 9-0 record and1.86 ERA while striking out 73 batters in 97 innings, ranking 12th in the nation in ERA. Opponents batted just .209 against Fredrickson, who also rankedi n the top-50 nationally with a 1.01 WHIP and 6.59 hits allowed per nine innings.

Toglia, who teamed with him on the Tides in high school, was thrilled to see Fredrickson’s success at Minnesota.

“He’s a stud,” Toglia said. “He went off. All the accolades were well-deserved. He was the man this season.”

Shane Hanon, outfield, Marshall: The Peninsula High grad appeared in 34 games, starting in 33 before a season-ending wrist injury. He batted .324, second best on the team. Hanon recorded a season-high four hits at Western Carolina, and drew 18 walks against just 23 strikeouts.

Chad Stevens, shortstop, Portland: The Gig Harbor High grad —who was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 2017 MLB draft — hit .251 in his freshman season with 49 hits, six doubles and two triples.

Henry Cheney, outfield, Portland: The Charles Wright grad hit .271 in his sophomore season with 13 hits, including two home runs and a double.

Mark Sluys, catcher, Brown: The Gig Harbor grad started 25 of 26 games, appearing at catcher and designated hitter. He batted .272 with six doubles and 11 RBIs, ranked third on the team with a .402 slugging percentage. He added two home runs, posted five multiple-hit games and put together a nine-game hitting streak.

Matthew Henckel, pitcher, Gonzaga: The Gig Harbor grad and redshirt junior appeared in three games in his first season with the Bulldogs, pitching a total of five innings with a record of 1-0. He did not allow an earned run, walking three and striking out three.

Other local college players: Jairus Richards, Bellarmine, Cal State Fullerton; Avery Jones, Gig Harbor, Central Arizona College; Jack Hannah, Cascade Christian, Grays Harbor CC; Tanner Hardy, Gig Harbor, Grays Harbor CC; Kelly Polk, Peninsula, Grays Harbor CC; Johnny Schmidt, Gig Harbor, Grays Harbor CC; Jon Burghardt, Gig Harbor, Tacoma Community College; Cameron Macintosh, Gig Harbor, TCC; RJ Green, Gig Harbor, TCC: Logan Gerling, Gig Harbor, TCC.