Irvine Valley baseball coach Kent Madole announced that freshman catcher Gabe Briones and freshman pitcher Cruz Barrios have committed to continue their academic and baseball careers at Division I UC Riverside next school year.
Briones and Barrios joined the Laser program after spending part of of the 2020 season at Riverside College. The 2020 season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Student-athletes were allowed to transfer and they kept their 2020 eligibility.
Both players will have multiple years left to play at UC Riverside.
Briones and Barrios helped Irvine Valley to a successful 2021 season, despite the obstacles. The Lasers did not have a true home field during 2021.
With renovations going on at their IVC campus field, the Lasers practiced and played each day at the OC Great Park in Irvine.
Irvine Valley still finished tied for fourth in a deep and tough Orange Empire Conference with a record of 9-9.
The Lasers were 12-14-1 overall.
IVC went 11-3-1 during a stretch during 2021 with Briones and Barrios both contributing heavily.
Briones was Irvine Valley's starting catcher and a star behind the plate.
He had a .989 fielding percentage and threw out three runners this season in the 15 games he played.
Barrios was a top reliever for the Lasers, striking out 15 batters in 18.1 innings and ending with a team-high three saves.
