The goal will be to continue sending additional players across the country to hit, pitch and field for the Division II program that won the United States Collegiate Athletic Assn. championship in 2008, the first in the college’s history.
“It’s a good opportunity for the Glendale college players to be taken from a pool of talent in California, [players] who are not getting Division I looks here, and have them go [to Columbia Union],” Cicuto said. “It’s also a good experience to go to another lifestyle and culture.
“I’d never heard of Columbia Union before last year. Coach Ricucci and I have since developed a good relationship. The longer you coach, the more you build relationships.”
Further strengthening the connection will take time. However, there’s a possibility that several more Glendale college players from the 2009 season will follow in the footsteps of Magallon and DeGomez.
Ricucci has made several trips to California the past several years to hunt for players willing to move east. He had never heard of Glendale college until meeting with Cicuto in 2008.
“The last four years, I’ve been sent to California to recruit,” said Ricucci, whose team finished last season 25-20 and 3-3 in the postseason. “I’ve gone around Los Angeles and into San Bernardino County, and it seems as though all of the highways go to junior colleges.
“Some players in California have nowhere to go because there are caps on roster sizes. There are top players in California who have the pedigree and who can play well. We’ve seen that with Magallon and DeGomez, for example.”
Magallon, a Glendale resident and a Bellarmine-Jefferson High graduate, and DeGomez didn’t disappoint in their first seasons with the Pioneers.
