Senior first baseman Wes Dorrell has left Cal Poly citing “a conflict of interest” and will enroll at Fresno Pacific to complete his collegiate career, the Fresno Bee first reported on Sunday.
Dorrell hit .310 in three seasons, starting 142 games at Cal Poly. Last year he hit .313 with 42 RBI, helping lead the Mustangs to a 37-21 record and their first Division I postseason berth.
The Fresno native told the Bee that he would have preferred a move to Fresno State, the 2008 national champion. But a move from one Division I team to another would void the one season he has left of athletic eligibility, meaning Dorrell’s collegiate career would be over.
Fresno Pacific is an NAIA school,so Dorrell will be exempt from that rule and allowed to play in the upcoming 2009 season.
“I loved playing baseball with my teammates,” Dorrell told the Bee. “The school was great, everything was awesome. I have no regret to any of that, but I look forward to moving home.”
Dorrell entered the 2009 season on the Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Watch List.
Dorrell said he hopes that the transition to a different school will help him reach his goal of being drafted after his senior season.
“I talked to a scout after the draft and he said that was really weird,” Dorrell said of remaining undrafted after last season. “About 15 organizations had talked to me. My family and I were hoping, but it didn’t happen. I hope to give it one more shot.”
Senior David Van Ostrand is a likely candidate to take over Dorrell’s spot at first base this year.