Cochise College to send 4 athletes to NCAA Div. I universities in 2023

Cochise College to send 4 athletes to NCAA Div. I universities in 2023
October 12, 2022

DOUGLAS, Ariz. -- Cochise College is sending 4 student-athletes to the next level in 2023 as Stephen "Tank" Byard, Oscar Cluff, Evan Shaw, and Fernando Barreda have all verbally committed recently to further their athletic and academic careers. 

 

Stephen Byard (Basketball; F) Texas A & M Corpus Christie University

On October 7th, Byard verbally committed to Texas A & M Corpus Christie University for Basketball. Byard is from Atlantic City, NJ, and finished the 2021-2022 season 3rd overall in the ACCAC in field goal percentage (64.2%), 4th overall in rebounds (282) and points scored (526). Texas A & M Corpus Christie University is located in Corpus Christie, Texas, and competes in the Southland Conference which includes NCAA Div. I teams such as McNeese State, Nicholls State, University of New Orleans, and Houston Christian University. The Islanders Men's Basketball team finished 23-12 during the 2021-22 (7-7 conference record). 

 

Oscar Cluff (Basketball; C) Washington State University

Cluff is a 6'10" Center from Sunshine Coast, Australia, and verbally committed to Washington State University shortly after his official visit on October 10th. During the 2021-2022 season, Cluff lead the ACCAC in field goal pct. (75.0%), was 2nd overall in offensive rebounds (113), defensive rebounds (335), total rebounds (335) blocks (82), and average rebounds per game (10.8). Washington State is located in Pullman, Washington, and competes in the NCAA Div. I Pac-12 Conference which includes teams such as the University of Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, UCLA, and USC. Washington State Men's Basketball finished 22-15 overall last season with a Pac-12 record of 11-9. 

 

Evan Shaw (Baseball; RHP) Kansas University

Shaw a Friedly, Minnesota native, verbally committed to Kansas University for Baseball on October 10th. He started 11 games on the mound in 2021 and finished with an overall record of 6-2. Shaw finished in the top 20 in the ACCAC last season with a total of 70 strikeouts and averaged 12.52 strikeouts per game. In 2021-22, Shaw's ERA (Earned Run Average) was 3.58 overall and 2.67 in the conference. Kansas University is located in Lawrence, Kansas, and competes in the NCAA Div. I Big-12 Conference which includes schools such as the University of Texas, Oklahoma, Baylor, and Texas Christian University. During the 2021-22 season, KU finished 20-35 overall and 4-20 in the Big-12.  

 

Fernando Barreda (Baseball; RHP) New Mexico State University

Barreda is from Sahuarita, Arizona, during the 2021-22 season he started a total of 18 games with a record of 3-7. Barreda had an ERA of 4.47 with a total of 60 strikeouts averaging 9.59 per game. New Mexico State University is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and competes in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) which includes teams such as Grand Canyon University, Utah Valley University, and Chicago State University. Last season, the Aggies won the WAC championship and finished with an overall record of 20-34 and a conference record of 16-20.