HAYWARD, Calif. – With less than two weeks remaining before the Cal State East Bay baseball team's season opener against Oregon Tech, the Pioneer coaching staff has finalized an impressive 2014 recruiting class. 17 newcomers will join a CSUEB squad that matched a school record with 32 victories last season.

The jewel of head coach Bob Ralston's 2014 class is the outfield, which projects to look entirely different than it did in 2013. Leading the way is senior Ellis Stephney, a transfer from Division I Texas Southern. A native of Oakland, Calif., Stephney was a first-team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference selection as a junior after transferring to TSU from Laney College. He was the Tigers' best offensive player in 2013, leading the team in bating average (.329), on-base percentage (.424), slugging (.516), runs (30), hits (52), doubles (13), home runs (3), RBI (28), and total bases (83).

Joining Stephney in the revamped Pioneer outfielder will be junior transfer Kelly Starnes, a first-team All-Bay Valley League selection the past two years at Los Medanos College. A standout centerfielder hailing from Pittsburg, Calif., Starnes was selected in the 40th round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins following a sophomore season in which he batted .324 with seven triples and 19 stolen bases for the Mustangs.

Freshman Marcus Wise is also projected to be a major part of the East Bay outfield in 2014. The Antioch, Calif. native is a 2013 graduate of Deer Valley High School. As a senior, he batted .374 and stole 26 bases without being caught, ultimately finishing his three-year varsity career with a school-record 46 stolen bases.   

Finally, senior transfer Devin Higgins joins the Pioneers from another Division I school, Youngstown State. After hitting .301 with 19 stolen bases and 40 runs in 35 games for Shasta College as a sophomore, Higgins played one season at YSU. He played in 43 games in the outfield for the Penguins, batting .250 with a .346 on-base percentage and six steals. Originally from Vancouver, Wash., Higgins brings a great deal of experience to the CSUEB roster, although he is expected to miss some time as he continues to rehab an offseason injury.

There is a bit more incumbent stability with the Pioneer infield, as the team returns its starting shortstop and second baseman from last season. However, Ralston will be looking for someone to replace third baseman Kyle Zozaya, the team's leading hitter in 2013 and the Cal State East Bay Male Athlete of the Year. There are several players who could step into that role, including a trio of talented newcomers.

Livermore, Calif. native Daniel Carney joins the Pioneers from Modesto Junior College. A product of Granada High School, Carney brings an imposing frame for an infielder at 6'3" and 205 lbs. He batted .310 in 36 games last season at Modesto and is expected to compete for the starting third base job this year.

Another local product, junior Ryan Kochan will also look to play his way into the Pioneer infield. Hailing from San Ramon, Calif., Kochan is a graduate of California High School and spent the past two seasons playing for Diablo Valley College. As a freshman, he hit .400 during conference play to earn second-team All-League honors. Kochan also made the All-State Academic team, posting a perfect 4.0 gpa.

The third addition on the infield is a two-way player whom the coaches expect to compete for playing time at third base and first base, as well as pitcher. Junior Jason Fletcher is a transfer from American River College, where he was a two-time first-team All-Big 8 Conference selection as a utility player. A native of Sacramento and a product of Rosemont High School, Fletcher excelled on both sides of the field as a JC player. He was American River's top hitter in 2013, batting .354 with a .400 on-base percentage and 16 extra-base hits. He also started five games on the hill, posting a 1-2 record with 17 strikeouts in 23.0 innings.

The Pioneers return a pair of catchers, but they'll be without last year's regular starter, first-team All-CCAA selection David Castillo. However, Coach Ralston's staff has added another talented backstop to solidify the team's catching corps in junior Aeryk Hernandez. A 6'2", 210-lb Hayward native, Hernandez joins East Bay from Ohlone College, where he batted .345 with a .420 on-base percentage in 18 conference games last season.

Pitching was perhaps the team's biggest strength during its remarkable 2013 season, as the Pioneers ranked 15th in the nation with a 2.91 collective ERA. The 2014 squad returns four of the five regular starters from last year, but with a 50-game schedule ahead of them, there's no such thing as too much pitching. Therefore, in addition to Fletcher, the Pioneers have added nine hurlers to this season's roster.

Junior Julian Garcia is a Half Moon Bay, Calif. product and joins CSUEB after two years at Cabrillo College. A 6'2" right-hander, he was the Ocean Division Pitcher of the Year as a senior at Half Moon Bay High School. Garcia followed that up with two impressive seasons at Cabrillo, posting a 1.44 ERA in 19 appearances as a freshman and tossing 65.2 innings with a 3.02 ERA as a sophomore.

Coach Ralston has also added two pitchers from an outstanding Santa Rosa Junior College squad. The 2013 Bear Cubs went 34-9, winning both the Big 8 Conference and the Northern California JC Championship. Their All-American ace transferred to Long Beach State, but East Bay managed to snag their number two and three starters. Brian Bynum is a 6'0" right-hander who prepped at Del Oro High School. Originally from Granite Bay, Calif., he went 4-1 in 80.1 innings. Bynum posted a 1.79 ERA and held opponents to a .199 batting average, earning first-team All-Conference honors after the season.

Another junior, teammate Bryan Webster will likely be one of the tallest Division II players in the nation at 6'8". A native of Napa, Calif., the right-hander was a workhorse for Santa Rosa last season. He led the team with 89.2 innings and two complete games, posting a 6-3 record with a 4.32 ERA.

The Pioneers added a second set of JC teammates in a pair of hurlers from West Hills Coalinga. Jacob Phillips, a native of Fresno and a graduate of Washington Union High School, was the top starter for West Hills in 2013, ranking in the top-five in the Central Valley conference in wins and strikeouts. The 5'10" right-hander went 6-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 91.1 innings and was named a "Player to Watch" by the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association.

Joining Phillips on this year's East Bay squad is junior Kevin Richards, a product of Kerman High School in Kerman, Calif., where he was voted at the team's Most Valuable Pitcher as a junior and senior. A 6'2" right-hander, he tossed 23.0 innings in 2013 for West Hills, posting a 6.26 ERA with 14 strikeouts and just six walks. Richards was also named to the Academic All-State team.

Junior Brandon Chamberlain is a local product, having played his prep ball just down the hill at Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward. He was a two-way player at Moreau, excelling as a pitcher and first baseman. A right-hander, the 6'2" Chamberlain is expected to compete for innings in the East Bay bullpen.

Coach Ralston has also added a pair of true freshmen for the 2014 season. The first was a teammate of Wise's at Deer Valley High School. Tyler Vistalli is a right-hander from Antioch, Calif. who played four years at the varsity level. He posted a 1.77 ERA in 55 innings as a sophomore, and then went 7-1 with a 1.17 ERA with 53 innings as junior. He was dominant again as a senior, going 5-0 with three complete games and a 0.88 ERA in five starts before suffering an injury. Vistalli is expected to miss time this season as he continues to work his way back to full strength.

Local product Andrew Fernandez is the Pioneers' other freshman hurler, joining the team from Castro Valley High School. Standing 6'3", he was an All-League selection as senior in 2013 and may have a chance to step in and contribute to the East Bay staff right away. Fernandez tossed 60.1 innings last year, going 6-3 with four complete games and a 2.67 ERA.

Finally, a player who doesn't fit into any single category: Esau "Chacho" Madrigal. A legitimately ambidextrous pitcher who also plays first base and outfield, Chacho Madrigal brings tremendous versatility to East Bay. A three-time All-League selection at Calexico High School in Calexico, Calif., he went onto play two seasons at Imperial Valley College and earn first-team All-Conference honors both years. As a sophomore in 2012, he hit .351 with a .462 on-base percentage and 23 RBI. Madrigal also made nine starts on the mound, going 3-2 with a 4.02 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 53.2 innings. He was recruited to play at Division I San Diego State, but suffered an injury to his left elbow (his stronger arm) that cost him the 2013 season. The Pioneers hope to use Madrigal in multiple roles this year.

Those nine newcomers to the pitching staff are also joined by right-handers Brian Allec (Concord, Calif. – De La Salle HS), Bryan Mason (San Leandro, Calif. – Bishop O'Dowd HS), and John Tierney (Oakland, Calif. – Bishop O'Dowd HS), all of whom return as freshmen after utilizing redshirts last season.

Cal State East Bay has a doubleheader scrimmage against Mission College during Homecoming this Saturday, Jan. 25, starting at 11 a.m. The Pioneers will open their regular season the following weekend when they host Oregon Tech on Feb. 1.