‘He’s a true leader.’ Merced County baseball standout signs with Stanislaus State
Buhach Colony High senior Danny Murphy had seen some of his friends and teammates have their moments to celebrate their commitments to colleges.
Monday afternoon was Murphy’s turn.
A small crowd of family, teammates and coaches gathered to celebrate Murphy signing his national letter of intent to accept a baseball scholarship to Stanislaus State University.
“It was very surreal,” Murphy said. “It’s been a dream I’ve had to sign with a college and I’m glad it is Stanislaus State. To have my teammates and family out there meant a lot to me because they helped me get to this spot.”
Buhach Colony coach Greg Wakefield calls Murphy a complete player. As a catcher, Murphy anchors the Thunder defense and plays a big role in the success of the BC pitching staff.
This spring Murphy is hitting .529 with 1 home run, six runs and 7 RBIs through five games.
“He’s a really good athlete,” Wakefield said. “He runs well for a catcher, he’s a smart baseball player and pound for pound, he’s a pretty strong kid.
“He’s definitely what we like to call a coach on the field,” Wakefield added. “He’s great at making adjustments. He’s working behind the scenes making our pitching staff better, making our defense better. He’s a true leader and a team captain.”
Murphy has compiled a 4.3 GPA at Buhach Colony and plans to major in accounting.
The Thunder senior had considered other colleges like Holy Names, Chico State and Minot State until Stanislaus State entered the picture late in the recruiting process.
Murphy spent a lot of the offseason catching Buhach Colony teammate Jake Sapien, who is headed to Stanford next year on a baseball scholarship. Sapien and his father put in a word with the Stanislaus State baseball coaches and they were interested in Murphy.
Murphy says it’s a bonus that he’ll be playing close to home.
“That was a big thing to consider,” Murphy said. “I can always come home for a home-cooked meal and my family can come watch me play.”
Murphy is headed to Stanislaus State where both of his Buhach Colony coaches Wakefield and Joe Medeiros both played catcher.
“Hopefully he’ll get to wear No. 15 because that’s the number me and Joe both wore there,” Wakefield said.
