SMCC Baseball Announces Four-Year Transfers
PHOENIX ---
The South Mountain Community College baseball program and head coach Todd Eastin announced several four-year transfers from the 2024 squad that won the Region I Division I Championship. These young men represented SMCC with honor and distinction during their time on the diamond and in the classroom and will head to their new campuses with ample experience. Nikolas Miller (University of Nevada), Sam Christiansen (University of Oklahoma), Karsen Waslefsky (University of New Mexico), Dominic Chacon (Grand Canyon University), Niko Rosell (Utah Valley University), Stephen Hernandez (St. Louis University), Stryder Salas (St. Louis University), Kaden Gray (Washburn University), Wylie Waters (University of South Carolina-Upstate), Matthew Lighthall (University of Southern Indiana), Alex Urias-Calvillo (CSU Bakersfield), and Carlos Vega (LSU-Shreveport) embark upon new journeys in their intercollegiate baseball careers, but they will be Cougars forever.
With this latest batch of transfers, the Cougars have sent 44 student-athletes to four-year universities since the program returned in 2021 after the Coronavirus pandemic. Thirty-six of those student-athletes transferred to NCAA Division I programs.
Miller is a 5-8 left-handed pitcher from Gilbert, Ariz., headed to the University of Nevada. The Wolfpack is an NCAA Division I program that competes in the Mountain West Conference.
He earned First Team All-ACCAC and All-Region I Division I honors in 2023 after he went 11-1 with a 3.47 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 96 innings and 20 games (17 starts). He recorded wins over El Paso CC, Eastern Arizona (twice), Phoenix College (twice), Mesa CC, Glendale CC, Chandler-Gilbert CC, Cochise College, Yavapai College, and Central Arizona during the year. He fanned a career-high nine batters twice, in wins over the Apaches and the Coyotes.
In 2023, Miller was 4-1 in eight games and 45.0 innings with 45 K's and a 5.00 ERA. He posted a win with seven innings of shutout baseball with eight strikeouts in a win over Salt Lake CC and went 5.2 innings with four K's to earn a victory at Central Arizona.
Christiansen is a 6-2 first baseman from Mesa, Ariz., headed to the University of Oklahoma. The Sooners are an NCAA Division I program that competes in the Southeastern Conference.
Christiansen earned First Team All-ACCAC and All-Region I Division I honors in 2023 after batting .307 in 57 games. He added 47 runs, 12 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 35 RBIs, 23 walks, and 32 stolen bases as SMCC finished second in the ACCAC standings.
He set a new school record with six stolen bases in a home win over Paradise Valley CC on Mar. 11 and scored a season-high four runs in a home win over Mesa CC. Christiansen homered against Eastern Arizona, Phoenix College, Scottsdale CC, and Cochise College, posted a .985 fielding percentage in 407 chances, and was a part of 23 double plays.
Christiansen did not appear in any games in the 2024 season due to injury.
Waslefsky is a 6-0 shortstop from Gilbert, Ariz., headed to the University of New Mexico. The Lobos are an NCAA Division I program that competes in the Mountain West Conference.
He appeared in 123 games over his SMCC career, including all 65 in the 2024 season, and batted .312 with 78 runs, 139 hits, 28 doubles, four triples, two home runs, 79 RBIs, 50 walks, and 19 stolen bases in his Cougar career. Waslefsky also shined defensively, sporting a .941 career fielding percentage in more than 400 chances at short.
Waslefsky had a solid sophomore season. He batted .300 with 43 runs, 73 hits, 12 doubles, four triples, two home runs, 41 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases as SMCC won the Region I Division I Tournament. He had a season-high four hits twice and a season-high three RBIs four times. He homered in the Region I Division I tournament at Central Arizona and hit his first home run in a contest against Salt Lake CC.
In 2023, Waslefsky appeared in 58 games and batted .325 with 35 runs, 66 hits, 16 doubles, 38 RBIs, 25 walks, and eight stolen bases. He posted a season-high three doubles at Central Arizona and had two doubles against Southern Nevada and Arizona Western.
Chacon is a 6-3 outfielder from Scottsdale, Ariz., headed to Grand Canyon University. The Antelopes are an NCAA Division I program that competes in the Western Athletic Conference.
Chacon earned First Team All-ACCAC and All-Region I Division II honors in 2023 and 2024 after compiling 112 runs, 112 hits, 21 doubles, five triples, 20 home runs, 85 RBIs, 98 walks, and 35 stolen base in 117 career games.
In 2024, Chacon set a new SMCC program record with 65 walks and added 68 runs, 10 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs and 50 RBIs as SMCC won the Region I Division I Tournament. During one season stretch, Chacon homered in four-straight games and mashed five total as SMCC swept a doubleheader with Phoenix College and Eastern Arizona. He set a new career high with four stolen bases in a win at Eastern Arizona.
In 2023, Chacon appeared in 52 games and batted .306 with 44 runs, 53 hits, 11 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 35 RBIs, 33 walks, and six stolen bases. He homered against Central Arizona, Paradise Valley CC, Gateway CC, Scottsdale CC, and Yavapai College and drove in a season-high four RBIs twice.
Rosell is a 5-11 utility player from Hillsboro, Ore., headed to Utah Valley University. The Wolverines are an NCAA Division I program that competes in the Western Athletic Conference.
Rosell spent one year at SMCC and batted .304 in 49 games during the 2024 season. He totaled 27 runs, 48 hits, 10 doubles, one home run, 29 RBIs, 11 walks, and four stolen bases for the Cougars. He had a season-high three hits four times and drove in a season-high four RBIs with two doubles in a win over Phoenix College. Rosell homered in a win over El Paso CC and had a team-best 14-game hitting streak during the season.
Hernandez is a 6-2 left-handed pitcher from Chandler, Ariz., headed to St. Louis University. The Billikens are an NCAA Division I program that competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
He spent one season at SMCC and finished 4-2 in 18 games and 15 starts during the 2024 campaign. He compiled a 4.75 ERA in 72 innings with 69 strikeouts and 42 walks. Hernandez picked up wins over Salt Lake CC, Eastern Arizona (twice), and Pima CC and had a season-high seven strikeouts in that win over the SLCC Bruins. He had six other outings with at least five strikeouts.
Salas is a 6-6 right-handed pitcher from Chandler, Ariz., headed to St. Louis University. The Billikens are an NCAA Division I program that competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Salas spent one season at SMCC and finished 0-1 with one save in 10 appearances. He had 10 strikeouts in 9.2 innings and earned a save with three innings of relief work at Eastern Arizona on Feb. 20. He fanned four Gila Monsters and allowed four hits and one run.
Gray is a 5-11 right-handed pitcher from Wyoming, Ontario, headed to Washburn University (KS). The Ichabods are an NCAA Division II program that competes in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
Gray finished 2-3 in 15 appearances in the 2024 season. He had 15 K's in 20 innings and recorded wins over Western Nebraska CC and Pima CC. The victory over the Aztecs came in game one of the Region I Division I Tournament Final, a series the Cougars would win. He was a member of the 2023 squad but did not appear in any games.
Waters is a 6-2 first baseman from Vancouver, British Columbia, headed to the University of South Carolina-Upstate. The Spartans are an NCAA Division I program that competes in the Big South Conference.
Waters earned First Team All-ACCAC and All-Region I Division I Team honors after a sensational 2024 season. He batted .404 with 47 runs, 74 hits, 14 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 43 RBIs, and two stolen bases in 55 games. In conference play, Waters finished second in batting average (.434), tied for fifth in hits (53), tied for eighth in runs (34), and was second in triples (4).
After batting .450 in six games, Waters received Region I Division I Tournament MVP honors as he helped SMCC win the event. He totaled six runs, seven RBIs, three doubles, and seven walks as the Cougars won best-of-three series at Central Arizona and Pima CC. He later earned NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American honors, the first Cougar to do so since the 2015 season.
Lighthall is a 6-4 right-handed pitcher from Littleton, Colo., headed to the University of Southern Indiana. The Screaming Eagles are an NCAA Division I program that competes in the Ohio Valley Conference.
As a sophomore in 2024, Lighthall appeared in 17 games and made 10 starts. He finished 2-3 with one save, 48 strikeouts, and a 5.22 ERA in 60.1 innings. Lighthall earned a win with five innings and six K's at PVCC on Mar. 8 and picked up a win at Scottsdale CC on Apr. 2 with seven innings and two K's. He recorded a save with 1.2 innings of relief work at Yavapai College on Apr. 23 and posted a season-high 10 strikeouts in six innings against Pima CC on Apr. 27.
Lighthall appeared in seven games as a freshman in 2023, posting 13 strikeouts in 10 innings of work with a season four K's against Southern Nevada.
Urias-Calvillo is a 5-10 right-handed pitcher from Tucson, Ariz., headed to CSU Bakersfield. The Roadrunners are an NCAA Division I program that competes in the Big West Conference.
Urias appeared in 46 games over his Cougar career, finishing 10-5 with seven saves and a 3.04 ERA in 91.2 innings. As a sophomore in 2024, Urias-Calvillo went 5-3 with seven saves, 42 K's, and a 4.38 ERA in 49.1 innings. He finished second in the ACCAC in saves and successfully closed the door on SMCC victories over Salt Lake CC, Western Nebraska CC, Mesa CC, Glendale CC, Gateway CC, and Pima CC twice.
In 2023, he finished 5-2 with a 1.49 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 42.1 innings. Urias-Calvillo posted wins over Salt Lake CC, Phoenix College twice, Yavapai College, and Cochise College, and tossed a seven-inning complete game with a season-high five strikeouts at Phoenix College on Feb. 15.
Vega is a 6-0 infielder from Phoenix headed to LSU-Shreveport. The Pilots are an NAIA program that competes in the Red River Athletic Conference.
Vega spent one season at SMCC and batted .253 with 22 runs, 24 hits, 10 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 13 RBIs, 16 walks, and one stolen base. He hit a walk-off home run to lift the Cougars to a 5-4 win over Southeast CC (NE) in an NJCAA Division I West District Championship elimination game on May 17. He also homered the next day in the West District Championship Final against Southern Nevada, and earlier in the postseason, Vega had a season-high three hits in a Region I Division I Tournament win at Pima CC on May 9.