Jul 17, 2008

Fresno St. adds Serra's Allgrove

By John Reid / Daily News Staff Writer

Ryan Allgrove wasn't highly recruited out of Serra High in San Mateo despite being the West Catholic Athletic League co-Most Valuable Player his senior season. Allgrove, a middle infielder and pitcher, hit .440 with seven doubles. Pitching all the big games for the Padres, Allgrove went 5-2 with a 2.03 ERA, striking out 51 batters in 62 innings. Yet, excluding an offer from Sonoma State that Allgrove turned down, no other Div. I college desired Allgrove's services.

The 5-foot-7 Allgrove was on the brink of taking his talents to baseball-rich College of San Mateo when fate intervened. That's when Fresno State junior second baseman Erik Wetzel signed a pro contract with the Colorado Rockies. Wetzel, a 13th round pick, had turned down the Rockies' original offer. He changed his mind, however, when the Rockies came up with a $100,000 signing bonus.

"Thank you, Erik Wetzel," said Allgrove, who will be a recruited walk-on for the Bulldogs. "I'm ecstatic. It's a dream come true. Fresno State recruited me some last summer, but then they totally stopped. They sent me one or two e-mails during the season.They called me last Monday. I called them back on Tuesday. They told me they had to shore up their middle infield depth."

"Ryan always wanted to play for Fresno State," Serra coach Pete Jensen. "I'm excited for him."

Allgrove was back in Omaha, Neb., playing for a San Mateo-based youth baseball team when Fresno State was in the midst of its NCAA title run at the College World Series.

"I watched a couple of College World Series games and saw Fresno State play once," Allgrove said. "When I got back, I sent them an e-mail. I really didn't expect to hear from them."

Jensen compared Allgrove to Allgrove's uncle, Mike Roza, a Serra grad of 1984. Roza, who won a school-record 30 games for the Padres as a pitcher, runs the Pitching Academy in Redwood City.

"Ryan is a lot like his Uncle Mike," Jensen said. "They both played with a lot of heart and with a lot of guts. And they both had confidence. They believed in themselves."

Roza stands 5-8 1/2, hence the height comparison with Allgrove.

"I started working with Ryan when he was a baby," Roza said. "He learned the fundamentals at a young age and has always had the drive. He knows where the ball is going to be hit before it is hit. I talked to the recruiter from Fresno State for 45 minutes about Ryan. I told him Ryan has it all, mentally. He does things you can't teach."

Jensen went on to compare Allgrove to Tom Brady, a former catcher at Serra who has done fairly well as a pro quarterback for the New England Patriots.

"Ryan was like Brady in that he believed he could do it," Jensen said. "All my successful athletes have had that quality, that confidence."

Fresno State will also lose some key pitchers from its title team, meaning Allgrove might get a chance to pitch a bit. He vows to not let his lack of a prototype hurler's frame stop him from succeeding on the mound.

"All my life I have been looked down upon because of my size," Allgrove said. "I'm going to go out there and prove them wrong."

That's Allgrove, merely staying true to his "bulldog" mentality.



E-mail John Reid jreid@dailynewsgroup.com.