2021 Recruiting Class Ranked Among Nation’s Best
PULLMAN, Wash. (Sept. 30, 2021) – For the second straight year, Washington State Baseball has seen its incoming signing class ranked among the nation's best recruiting classes after Collegiate Baseball rated WSU's incoming 2021 class No. 40 in the country.
The class, which is on campus preparing for the 2022 season, is the seventh-best class in the Pac-12 Conference ahead of Arizona State (42), Washington (43), California and Utah and also ahead of notable schools Michigan (41), UC Santa Barbara (48), Nebraska, Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine and Gonzaga. The 2021 Cougar class also features the top-rated junior college class according to JBB Baseball.
McKabe Cottrell (LHP) was an ABCA first-team All-American and the NWAC Pitcher of the Year at Spokane Falls Community College while Cole McMillan (LHP) was an All-Region first-team selection at San Jacinto JC in Texas and rated the No. 10 junior college lefthander in the country. The Cougars also welcome junior college transfers who started their careers at Power-5 Conference schools; infielder Dakota Gaillard (Florida State), outfielders Hylan Hall (Miami), Austin Plante (TCU) and Bryce Matthews (Arkansas), along with catcher Nate Stevens (Arkansas).
According to the Prep Baseball Report rankings, Loreto Siniscalchi was rated the third-best righthander in Canada, CJ Zwahlen (RHP) out of California is rated the No. 202 righthanded-pitcher in the country and Kaden Schiefelbein (RHP) was rated the third-best right-handed pitcher in Arizona. Infielder Drake Anderson was ranked the top shortstop in Washington by Prep Baseball Report while infielder Elijah Hainline from Mead High School in Spokane was rated the second-best shortstop in the state while Jack Dedonato (LHP) was rated the second-best lefthanded-pitcher in Washington, both by Prep Baseball Report. Behind the plate the Cougars added Will Cresswell who was rated the fourth-best catcher in Washington by Prep Baseball Report.
Last year's 2020 class was rated No. 29 in the country, included the fifth-best junior college class and was rated sixth-best in Pac-12.
Last Friday, WSU Director of Athletics Pat Chun announced that Green signed a contract extension through the 2026 season. Green's initial contract was a five-year contract signed in 2019. In just his second year leading the Cougars, 2021 saw Green guide WSU to its first winning season (26-23) since 2015, tie for the most road wins (16) by any Power-5 Conference team and record the most Pac-12 Conference wins (13) since 2014. In the classroom, Green saw his team post a program-record 3.09 GPA in the 2020 fall semester as 30 players recorded a GPA of 3.0 or higher and 17 players earned Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll honors. The Cougars produced three draft picks in 2021 led by two-time All-American Kyle Manzardo who was selected in the second round and No. 63 overall by the Tampa Bay Rays, the highest Cougar draft pick since 1991. Manzardo was joined by Zane Mills (4th round, St. Louis) and Brandon White (12th round, Miami) to give WSU three draft picks in the first 12 rounds for the first time since 1977.