May 13, 2009
San Antonio – St. Mary’s University baseball coach Charlie Migl announced on Wednesday that the team had signed three student-athletes for the 2010 academic year. Chicago, Ill., native Kevin O’Rourke, LaCoste native Cameron Payne and San Antonio native Samuel Rivas will all join the Rattlers for next season.
O’Rourke (6’3″, Fr., Chicago, Ill.) was an all-conference honoree for coach Troy Whalen at Grayslake Central High School. He was a four-year starter for the baseball team and helped lead GCHS to the conference championship. He also competed in football and basketball, earning all-conference honors in football. He also led Grayslake Central to a pair of regional championships in basketball. He was recently named Grayslake Central Male Athlete of the Year as a senior. O’Rourke plans to major in education at St. Mary’s.
Payne (6’0″, Fr., LaCoste) was a two-time all-district honoree for coach Carl Keller at Medina Valley High School as a second baseman. He helped lead MVHS to the state semifinals as a junior. Off the field he is a member of the National Honor Society and graduated in the top 10 percent of his class. He plans to major in general business.
Rivas (6’2″, Jr., San Antonio) comes to St. Mary’s after spending the last two years playing for coach Scott Harp at North Central Junior College. Prior to that, he was a three-time all-district honoree for coach John Gallardo at San Antonio’s Fox Tech High School. He also competed in football for Fox Tech, earning all-district honors three times. He helped lead FTHS to four state playoff appearances. Off the field he was a member of the Honor Roll. Rivas plans to major in exercise and sports science.
St. Mary’s finished the 2009 season with a 36-17 overall record and 32-14 mark in Heartland Conference play. They finished third in the Heartland Conference standings, missing out on a trip to the NCAA postseason by just one game.