SBCC’s Kit Larson played for the Santa Barbara Foresters last summer.
Kit Larson, an All-American relief pitcher on last year’s SBCC baseball team that finished fifth in the state, has signed a National Letter-of-Intent to play for North Carolina State.
“I chose NC State because it was something different,” said Larson, a 6-4 right-hander from Mill Valley, Calif., who will be a sophomore for the Vaqueros in 2015. “The baseball culture feels to be a lot stronger in Raleigh and I wanted to put myself in that environment. On my visit in September, I was impressed by the way the coaches worked together and communicated with their players. It’s no wonder why they are a winning program under head Coach (Elliott) Avent, who recently led the Wolfpack to the College World Series (in 2013).”
Larson pulled off a rare trifecta in 2014 as he was named to the All-State Academic team with a 3.76 GPA, then earned All-Southern Cal and All-American honors for the Vaqueros, who went 27-15.
Larson was 4-2 with six saves and broke a 35-year-old school record with a 0.94 ERA. The previous record of 1.13 was held by Joe Wikel (1972) and Mike Morris (1979).
Larson appeared in 21 games, striking out 41 in 38.1 innings with just two walks. He also set a new school record for ERA in WSC games at 0.82, breaking a 41-year-old record of 1.03.
“Kit is well deserved of his scholarship through his hard work in the classroom and on the field,” said SBCC coach Jeff Walker. “He is just another of the success stories SBCC pitchers have had under pitching coach Justin Aspegren.
“We will look to Kit in 2015 to either close or start for the Vaqueros and help lead us to a State title.”
Larson was a first-team All-WSC North choice, going 3-1 with three saves and a conference-best 0.82 ERA. In three playoff appearances, he had a 0.00 ERA in six innings with one save and six strikeouts.
He will major in Communications at NC State with a focus in New Media.
“I studied film at SBCC and would love to incorporate that into my studies in North Carolina as much as I can,” Larson said. “I’ve always dreamed of playing professional ball, yet when I can no longer play, I would love to have a profession in the game. Whether it be coaching or working with film for ESPN, I just want to be a part of the game.”
