As mentioned last week, the remainder of these blogs will be in honor and remembrance of the seniors that will not dawn the Brick & Black next season. The first two I’ll be honoring are seniors Nick Ybarra and Isaiah Patrick.
Nick Ybarra, from Baldwin Park, Calif. (Rio Hondo College), was a two-year member of the Cougar program. In his two full seasons, Nick practiced with the team every day and was a part of two of the Cougar’s PacWest regular season championships.
Coach Paul Svagdis on Ybarra: “Having had the opportunity to coach Nick the last two years, I can confidently say that I have yet to run across a young man that brought a level of work and toughness to our daily routine as Nick did these past two years. Toughness is a quality I would hope every coach would want in an athlete, and Nick possessed a level of grit and toughness that I believe will bring him great success in the future. It is a pleasure to coach a player that is tough, confident, and willing to do what it takes to help the team win. Nick was one of those athletes and will surely be missed next year.
Isaiah Patrick, from Bothell, Wash. (Shoreline CC), was a three-year member of the Cougar baseball program, as he appeared in 23 games throughout his career. In 2018, Patrick was 2-for-8 on the year at the plate recording five runs scored. Patrick was also a part of both the PacWest Conference regular season championship teams in 2018, and 2019. He received recognition for his work in the classroom as well as he received All-Academic PacWest honors in 2018 and 2019. He will be graduating with his degree in Kinesiology this spring.
Coach Paul Svagdis on Patrick: “I am so grateful I had the opportunity to coach Isaiah the last three seasons. From day one he stepped into the program, he formed tremendous relationships and bonds with his Cougar teammates. I genuinely appreciated IP’s work ethic, commitment to the team concept, and leadership both on and off the field. His Christian faith was displayed daily in his selflessness and love for his teammates. Our team and coaching staff will miss his energy and effort- His practice habits and positive attitude elevated all those in his presence.”
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