Radeke realizes a dream, signs pro baseball contract

Former Santa Barbara High star and Cal Poly junior starter Mason Radeke signed a professional contract with the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday.

Radeke, a right-handed pitcher, was a 35th round pick of the Indians in last week’s Major League Baseball Draft.

“I always had the confidence in myself that I could make it happen and I have the talent to go on, and it’s come true,” said Radeke, who was taking in the Santa Barbara Foresters game at UCSB after signing the contract earlier in the day.

Radeke said he expected to go higher in the draft and was uncertain about signing a contract. But he worked out a good deal with the Indians.

“After talking with Vince (Sagisi), the Indian scout, we came up with more than a fair bonus,” he said.

Radeke was drafted after his senior year at Santa Barbara High in 2008, picked by the Chicago White Sox in the 41st round. He instead elected to attend Cal Poly.

“I wanted the college experience,” he said. “I knew I was good enough to go out and be successful right out of high school, but I felt like I might of missed out on something so I wanted to go to Cal Poly and do that.”

At Santa Barbara High, he said coaches Fred Warrecker, Mike Cooney and George Rempe taught him how to be a man. “They’re good moral coaches.

“The best thing I remember about playing for Fred are the stories,” he added. “His stories are legendary. He’d talk about (Virgil) Vasquez, Spilly (Ryan Spilborghs) and Dylan Axelrod. They’re like the worker legends. I like to think that I’ve become one of those legends.”

Radeke played on two Channel League championship teams for the Dons and was the league MVP and an All-CIF first-team pick as a senior. He posted a 12-2 record with four saves, a 1.49 ERA, with 120 strikeouts in 89 innings in his senior season.

At Cal Poly this past season, he earned All-Big West Conference first-team honors after leading the conference in strikeouts looking (41), was second in total strikeouts (95) and wins (8) and fourth in innings pitched (99.2). He finished with an 8-4 record and 3.07 ERA, earning seven consecutive wins prior to a loss at UC Irvine on May 6.

Radeke tied a school record with 14 strikeouts in a win against Valparaiso and also had a 13-strikeout performance in seven innings for a win at UCSB.

He’ll play for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in Ohio.