| JOHN MAFFEI - jmaffei@nctimes.com | Posted: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 7:15 pm
Torrey Pines High pitchers Joey DeNato and Cole Swanson, two of the top left-handers in the county, have made commitments to colleges.
DeNato has chosen Indiana University, while Swanson will play for San Diego State.
The 5-foot-10, 165-pound DeNato went 18-3 in his first three years at Torrey Pines, including 7-1 last season, when he had 79 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings. He was a first-team All-CIF selection and the Avocado League pitcher of the year.
"I was first introduced to Indiana by Dom Johnson, my personal pitching coach," DeNato said. "Both Dom and Matt Chess (Torrey Pines coach) have been great through the recruiting process.
"I've always been a Big Ten fan. My dad is a Michigan State graduate.
"I really wanted a big-college atmosphere. When I visited, it was all I thought it would be."
On his visit, DeNato was hosted by former Torrey Pines star Jared Sabourin and former Poway standout Alex Dickerson, both of whom are starring for the Hoosiers.
DeNato said he chose Indiana over Oregon, USD, USC and UCLA.
The 6-4, 185-pound Swanson was 7-3 with two saves last season for Torrey Pines. His final three choices were San Diego State, UC Riverside and Pepperdine.
He chose San Diego State "because I think the program is ready to explode."
"Hawaii, Michigan and New Mexico State were in the mix, along with Fresno State and Cal State Northridge, but I wanted to stay on the West Coast," he said. "So that eliminated some schools.
"It was a tough choice at the end, but SDSU had all I was looking for academically and athletically. Eric Valenzuela (the Aztecs' new pitching coach) really knows his stuff. I'm really looking forward to working with him.
"And who wouldn't want to play for Tony Gwynn, one of the best players of all time?"
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