D1 Transfers Tello, Blessinger Lead PCC Baseball Contingent At Next Level

All-American shortstop Raider Tello and All-Southern California Region centerfielder Max Blessinger both earned NCAA Division I scholarships to lead a group of nine players from the 2022 Pasadena City College baseball team to play and further their educations at the university level next season. Two other players from the 2020 team have found new homes as well.

Tello, the PCC Men's Athlete of the Year for all sports in 2021-22, is attending University of Iowa, a member of the Big 10 Conference. Tello is one of four Lancers freshmen who transferred with three years of playing eligibility left at their next destination. 

In his one Pasadena season, Tello (Arcadia High) shattered four PCC single-season school records, including most hits (77), most runs batted in (53), most doubles (19) and most at-bats (191) as he helped the Lancers to a 28-15 season, the most victories by a PCC team since 1951 and third highest in school history. Tello led the team in batting average with a .403 mark, fourth highest in school history, and he scored 42 runs, also fourth on the all-time list. 

Tello's .639 slugging percentage is third best ever since the statistic began being recorded here in the 1990s. In 42 games played, the All-South Coast Conference First Team selection had 21 multiple hits games, including two 5-hit games, three 4-hit games, and six 3-hit contests. He hit safely in 37 of the 42 games. He started his collegiate career on a 21-game hitting streak. In state rankings, Tello finished fourth in the state in doubles, fifth in total hits (led state at end of regular season), and 12th in RBI. 

Blessinger signed with Belmont University (Tennessee), a new member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Blessinger (from Maranatha High) was a CCCSIA State Men's Athlete of the Month in March, the first time any PCC male student-athlete won the presitigious award since 2007. The sophomore transfer was one of the region's best centerfielders as he was named All-SCC First Team. As the team's leadoff hitter, he broke the PCC record for runs scored in a season with 53. His 48 RBI would have snapped the single-season record if not for teammate Tello (the previous high was 44 by Jeremy Conant in 2017). Blessinger's 67 hits is third most in PCC history. 

He batted .362 and led the team in on-base percentage at .460 as he hit safely in 38 of the team's 43 games. He had a streak of 21 straight games of crossing home plate at least once. He drove in an incredible 30 RBI during that month. Both Tello and Blessinger also earned CCCBCA Co-State Player of the Week honors in March.  

All-SCC First Team sophomore reliever Benny Olguin and consistent starting pitcher Ryan Graves both received scholarships to play/attend D2 Cal State San Bernardino. Olguin led the SCC in ERA with a 2.51 mark and he finished with a 7-2 mound record. He struck out 68 batters in 71.2 innings. A sophomore who started his PCC career in 2019 and had his 2020 season cut short in the COVID-19 season returned as the team's veteran go-to hurler. He earned victories over both of the Co-SCC champion teams in Mt. San Antonio and Long Beach City College. Olguin (Alhambra High) six times pitched five or more innings in relief, compiling a 4-1 mark in those contests. Over parts of three seasons, Olguin hurled 130 innings, struck out 122 batters, collected 10 victories and had an ERA of 3.53 for the Lancers.

Graves, who came back from Tommy John surgery after pitching on the 2020 squad, led the '22 Lancers in starts with 15, posting a 3-2 record and 4.18 ERA. In 85.1 career innings, The La Canada High product walked just 17 hitters, won five games and had a strong 3.69 ERA. He goes to CSUSB as a sophomore. 

Sophomore second baseman Andrew Scannell landed at D2 Biola University after a long journey at the CCC level. From Arcadia High, Scannell batted .291 on the 2019 SCC champion team and then led the team in triples (four) and was third in RBI (31) and hits (39) for the '22 squad. 

Freshman reliever Hayden Zweig, originally from Ontario, Canada, picked up a D2 scholarship at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. Zweig, who attended Beckman High in Tustin, impressed college scouts with his 15 strikeouts in just 10 innings of work as a short reliever. He has three years to play at UCCS.

Sophomore transfer lefty reliever Chase Pedersen is at D3 University of La Verne. Pedersen, who came to PCC from Citrus College, struck out 16 batters in 14.2 innings, making 11 appearances. He is one of three Lancers who played their prep ball at Arcadia High.

"This was truly a great group of young men," said PCC head coach Pat McGee. "I couldn't be more appreciative of their loyalty, commitment and hard work. They went above and beyond the traditional demands that is historically required from a community college student-athlete. This team had a number of special moments that I will proudly look back on for years to come."

Also taking a scholarship was sophomore third baseman Marco Martinez (Maranatha) at NAIA Texas Wesleyan University. He had originally signed with D1 Cal State Fullerton in 2021, but a coaching change there ultimately bounced him back to PCC. Another player moving on is freshman reliever Nicolas Day, now at D2 West Texas A&M. Day (Temple City HS) pitched a 3-1 record with a team-high three saves in 17 appearances. 

McGee was pleased to see two former Lancers--outfielder Revin Diego (2019-20) and pitcher Reese Cusiter (2020 squad)--make news as each continue their education and baseball playing careers at the university level. Diego (Burbank Burroughs HS), who had earned a scholarship at NAIA Providence Christian College (Pasadena), is now a graduate transfer who will play/attend D2 Holy Names University (Oakland) while Cusiter (La Sierra High, Riverside) earned a playing scholarship at NAIA Mid-American Christian University (Oklahoma). 

Collin Johnson, a reserve first baseman on this year's Lancers, has decided to continue his education only at Cal State Northridge.