AZUSA, Calif.-- Azusa Pacific baseball head coach Paul Svagdis has announced the signing of a pair of high school athletes—Christian Gagne (Mater Dei HS) and Kirk Nieuwenhuis (Denver Christian HS)—for the 2005-06 season.

“We are thrilled about both Christian’s and Kirk’s future in the program,” said Svagdis, who just finished his third season at the Cougar helm. “Christian brings such a high level of success at a top-notch program that he has the ability to impact our program right from the start. Kirk is a tremendous athlete that will have an immediate impact both offensively and on the mound.”

One of the top pitchers in the Serra League, Gagne is currently 8-1 with a team-leading 1.80 ERA. In 50.2 innings of work, Gagne has allowed just 13 earned runs while striking out 45 to lead the 19-8 Monarchs to the Serra League championship. Mater Dei hosts Martin Luther King High of Riverside Friday in its opening game of the 2005 CIF Playoffs.

“I am excited about my decision to attend Azusa Pacific,” said Gagne. “I cannot wait to experience college life, and I am looking forward to working with the team and coaches to develop my skills as a pitcher, baseball player and leader to hopefully impact the program.”

The 6-2, 180-pound righty recently tossed a complete-game, 3-hitter in the Monarchs’ 4-2 win over Servite. He gave up just a pair of unearned runs. He picked up the win in each of his first 4 starts this year, including a combined 3 hits and 12 strikeouts in 12 innings of back-to-back wins against Santiago and Valencia.

“We see great potential in Christian as a pitcher and are very optimistic about his future both in the collegiate setting and at the next level when that time comes,” said Svagdis. “In addition to his baseball abilities, his successes in the classroom in a strong academic program as well as his tremendous personal qualities of quiet confident leadership are an excellent combination that fit the profile of our program.”

Nieuwenhuis just concluded a highly-decorated 3-year career at Denver (Colo.) Christian High. He was a 3-time All-Metro League honoree as well as a 2-time all-state selection. Nieuwenhuis led the Crusaders to a combined 51-14 mark and a pair of Metro League titles, including this past season when the Crusaders finished 14-7 overall, 10-0 in league and advanced to the regional championship game.

The 6-2, 190-pound Nieuwenhuis doubled as a starting pitcher and infielder. On the mound, he finished 5-0 with a 1.03 ERA, which was good for second in the state. In 34 innings of work, he gave up just 5 earned runs and struck out 46 while tossing 3 complete games. At the plate, he hit .500 with 15 runs, 21 RBIs and a pair of home runs.

He was recently selected by the Colorado Rockies to participate in the Rockies’ Senior Top 40 All-Star game June 5 at Coors Field, showcasing the best 40 high school players in Colorado.

As a 2004 junior, Nieuwenhuis was named Colorado 3A Player of the Year after hitting .545 with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs. He also played 3 seasons of football where he earned a pair of all-state honors and was named MVP of the state championship game his junior season. In that game, he rushed for 267 yards to lead the Crusaders to the title. This past season, he finished with 947 yards and 11 touchdowns.

“Being a quality 2-sport athlete at a high level is something that we value here in our program,” said Svagdis. “We feel that his athletic ability alone will translate into success on the baseball field.”

Azusa Pacific is coming off a season in which it finished 22-22 overall, 17-13 GSAC, missing the NAIA Region II Playoffs by just one game. The Cougars return 20 players from last year’s team, 16 of whom were underclassmen, including 2005 GSAC Player of the Year Stephen Vogt.