LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball head coach Eric Newman has announced the addition of eight newcomers who signed their national letters of intent on National Signing Day.
 
The Tritons will welcome Michael Crossland (Seattle, Wash.), Julian Custer (San Diego, Calif.), Nathan Huy (Yorba Linda, Calif.), Devon King (San Diego, Calif.), Steele Murdock (Herriman, Utah), Kerim Orucevic (Park Ridge, Il.), Anthony Potestio (Brentwood, Calif.) and Landon Runyan (Huntington Beach, Calif.) for the 2024 season.
 
"We are excited to welcome eight new scholar athletes to the proud tradition of Triton baseball," said Newman. "I want to recognize the efforts of Coach LeBlanc and Coach Harvey, in finding these young men across four different states. All of these athletes bring the athleticism and skill set necessary to contribute to our program early in their careers, and are coming from great programs. They are going to make an impact on the baseball field, and will also have tremendous influence on our program, athletic department and university."
 
The 2023 signing class includes four pitchers, two outfielders, one infielder and one utility player. Five scholar-athletes join the Tritons from California, while Illinois, Washington and Utah were also represented.
 
Four of the eight signees ranked among the top-11 or above for their position in their state by Prep Baseball Report (PBR), including Crossland, Huy, Murdock and Orucevic.
 
MICHAEL CROSSLAND
» OF | R/R
» Seattle, Wash.
» Roosevelt HS
» City Baseball Club (2019-23); Baseball Northwest (2019-23)
» Ranked No. 4 Best Outfielder in Washington State by Prep Baseball Report (PBR), two-time team MVP (2021, 2022), All-Conference his sophomore and junior seasons and All-State honors his junior year, four-year varsity baseball athlete, three-year captain, helped his team to the 2022 Metro League playoffs.
 
From Coach Newman:
"Michael is an athletic and powerful outfielder who had tremendous success in high school and this summer. He is a great student who will fit in well with the values of our program, department and university."
 
JULIAN CUSTER
» RHP | R/R
» San Diego, Calif.
» Francis Parker HS
» SD Show (2022), BPA Fury (2020-22)
» Was named an SB-Live Top 25 right-handed pitcher in San Diego, helped his team to the 21-22 Coastal League championship, also played beach volleyball.
 
From Coach Newman:
"Julian is a local product from Francis Parker High School and has had great success there. He is very competitive on the mound with a plus breaking ball to compliment a very explosive fastball."
 
NATHAN HUY
» LHP | L/R
» Yorba Linda, Calif.
» El Dorado HS
» GBG Renegades (2019-22), GBG National (2022), SoCal A's Scout Team (2021-22) 
» Ranked No. 11 Best LHP in California by Prep Baseball Report (PBR), helped his team to back-to-back CIF-SS playoff appearances (2022, D1; 2021, D2)
 
From Coach Newman:
"Nathan is a left-hander that throws three pitches for strikes. His mid to upper 80s fastball is complimented by a good slider and change-up. Nathan will be a great addition to our pitching staff and we see great things for him in the future."
 
DEVON KING
» RHP/OF | R/R
» San Diego, Calif.
» Mar Vista HS
» BPA, GBG, CA Bears
» Metro South Bay League MVP, helped his team to the 2021 South Bay League title and D3 CIF Champions/state tournament, captain his senior season, also played varsity water polo as a freshman.
 
From Coach Newman:
"Devon is a rare athlete that will have a chance to play on both sides of the ball. He has the speed and skill set to play center field, while also possessing a pitching arsenal that could quickly earn him a large role on our staff.   Devon really came on this summer and was selected to participate in the Area Code Games this summer, against some of the highest level athletes in the nation."
 
STEELE MURDOCK
» RHP | R/R
» Herriman, Utah
» Herriman HS
» Mountain West Baseball Academy (2021-22), Team Utah 2023 (2022), Utah Outlaws (2022)
» Ranked No. 11 Best Player and No. 4 Best RHP in Utah by Prep Baseball Report (PBR), named to three all-tournament teams in 2022—Northwest Championships, Perfect Game Fall National Championships (Hitting/Pitching), Perfect Game President's Day (Hitting/Pitching)—pitched a no-hitter on June 24, 2022 at the USA Baseball Championships, helped his high school team to back-to-back Utah state tournaments (2021, 2022), also played golf and basketball (2022, 2021 state tournaments).
 
From Coach Newman:
"Steele is another right-handed pitcher, who really came on this summer and fall. He is coming to us from Utah where he is one of the top-rated players in the state. He possesses a pitching repertoire that is advanced for his level and will give him the opportunity to come in and compete early on for innings."
 
KERIM ORUCEVIC
» INF | L/R
» Park Ridge, IL
» Maine Township HS South
» Windy City Baseball Club (2020-22)
» Ranked No. 4 Best Shortstop in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report (PBR), IHSBCA All-State Team (2022), Daily Herald Magazine All-Area Cook County Team (2022), First Team All-CSL (2022), all-conference honors (2022), CLS Scholar Athlete (20220 and IHSA Scholastic Achievement Award (2022), helped his team to back-to-back CSL conference championships (2021, 2022), also played soccer.
 
From Coach Newman:
"Kerim is one of the top-ranked shortstops out of Illinois. He is an athletic left-handed hitter who can really run. In his career at UC San Diego, we expect Kerim to play up the middle of the field and to hit in the middle of our lineup."
 
ANTHONY POSTESTIO
» UTL | L/R
» Brentwood, Calif.
» Heritage HS
» Zoots Baseball Club (2020-22)
» 2022 Bay Valley Athletic League MVP, all-state, first team all-league and team MVP in 2022, two-time team captain, helped his team to an NCS playoff appearance in 2022.
 
From Coach Newman:
"Anthony is a very good all-around athlete that possesses athleticism to play anywhere on the field. He is also a left-handed hitter who flashes both power and speed, and will compete for playing time early on."
 
LANDON RUNYAN
» OF | L/L
» Huntington Beach, Calif.
» Oceanview HS
» GBG Renegades (2020-22), GVG Navy (2022)
» First team all-league (2022), 2022 Golden West Rookie of the Year, 2022 Orange County Dream Team, 2022 Loara Tournament MVP, Golden West All-Academic (2020-22), 2023 team captain, helped his team to the 2021 Golden West League Championship, 2021 Loara Tournament Championship, 2022 Perfect Game Fall National Champions with GBG Navy.
 
From Coach Newman:
"Landon a very physical left-handed hitter, who projects to hit in the middle of the order. He is a good outfielder, with above average speed and arm strength. He plays for some great coaches and programs in Orange County and is an excellent pick up for a program."
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.