Irvine Valley baseball coach Kent Madole announced that standout sophomore catcher Collin Villegas has signed with NCAA Division I Cal Poly.
Villegas was a star at Beckman two years ago, signed with Concordia last year and then came to IVC this season.
And the Lasers were happy to have him.
He shined for Irvine Valley through 21 games before the season was cancelled by the California Community College Athletic Association for the health of safety of student-athletes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Villegas started hot for the Lasers and kept it going both behind the dish and at the plate on offense.
He started the year with a 1 for 2 performance at the plate with a home run, three RBI, two walks and two runs scored as IVC won at San Diego Mesa, 11-6, on Jan. 28.
Villegas was second on the team with a .349 batting average. He was also second in home runs (two) and RBI (17) and added three stolen bases.
He was also second on the team in extra base hits with 10 and second in slugging percentage at .535. Villegas added a .436 on base percentage, which was tied for third on the squad.
His best game might have been one of the wildest of the season for the Lasers. In a game that was suspended because of darkness at San Bernardino Valley and then continued later at IVC, he went 5 for 7 with two walks, a double, and four RBI in a 14-12 Laser win in 15 innings.
Villegas helped Irvine Valley to a 11-10 record. The Lasers were ranked No. 14 in Southern California in the last CCCBCA poll and figured to be in mix in the Orange Empire Conference.
He is headed to a Cal Poly team that was 5-11 before its season was cancelled in 2020. The Mustangs went 28-28 overall and 17-10 in the Big West Conference in the 2019 season.
