Top 100 Countdown: 41. Nick Ramirez (Cal-State Fullerton)

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College Baseball Daily continues our countdown to the start of the 2011 College Baseball season by checking in on the Top 100 Players in the country. We will be providing one player per day until we reach number 1.

We continue the countdown today at number 41 with Cal-State Fullerton junior infielder/LHP Nick Ramirez. The Anaheim California native attended Katella High School where he played under Carlos Ayala and Jimmy Valverde. As a senior, he help lead the Knights to an Empire League championship in 2008 while taking home the league’s most valuable player trophy. He was also named a three-time All-Empire League first teamer (2006-08) and was also named the Knight’s MVP each of those years. He also was named All-Orange County, All-CIF and high school All-American in 2008.

He made an immediate impact in the Cal-State Fullerton lineup by playing in 39 games hitting .287 with ten homers and 31 runs. He also served as the team’s closer appearing in 23 games while going 3-1 with seven saves and an ERA of 2.61. He was named 2009 All-Big West Conference First Team Utility Player while being named a Second Team Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America.

Ramirez continued to produce for the Titans appearing in 64 games while hitting .346 with 16 homers while driving in 75 runs. He also appeared on the mound 27 times mostly as a reliever (one start) as he went 1-3 with eleven saves and a 3.50 ERA. He ended up striking out 38 batters in 43.2 innings.

He spent the summer of 2010 as part of the USA Collegiate National Team where Cal-State Fullerton head coach was serving as the pitching coach. Ramirez appeared in 16 games in the field hitting .290 with two homers and finishing second on the team with 14 RBI. He came up with a clutch extra inning two run single to center field to defeat Chinese Taipei in the FISU World University Baseball Championships. (VIDEO BELOW) He also appeared on the mound where he pitched in four games going 0-1 including one save with a 1.59 ERA.