Home 2011 Season Coverage2011 CBD Top 100 Players Top 100 Countdown: 88. Matt Jensen (Cal Poly)

Top 100 Countdown: 88. Matt Jensen (Cal Poly)

by Brian Foley
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The CBB continues our countdown to the start of the 2011 College Baseball season by checking in on the Top 100 Players in the country. We will be providing one player per day until we reach number 1.

We continue the countdown today at number 88 with Matt Jensen of Cal Poly. He is from Clovis California where he attended Clovis East High School. He picked up four letters playing under head coach Jeff Prieto where he hit .458 with six doubles, five triples, eight home runs, 21 RBIs and 36 runs scored. Jensen was also solid on the mound as he went 5-3 with a 2.29 ERA while striking out 55 batters in 52 innings as he threw two complete games and a shutout. He picked up several honors including All-Tri-River Athletic Conference honors all four years and also earned All-Valley and All-Regional honors. He was also named a third-team All-American as a senior. The Seattle Mariners selected him in the 11th round in the 2008 MLB draft but Jensen decided to head to Cal Poly to play under Larry Lee.

Jensen made an immediate impact in the Mustangs lineup as he played in 42 games (41 starts) while hitting .375 with nine homers and 53 RBI. He finished the season with a .650 slugging percentage while working 29 walks and getting hit by ten pitches. His season included a 23-game hitting streak and went 35-for-89 (.393) during the streak with 24 RBI. He suffered a broken clavicle on May 2nd in a game against San Francisco when an opponent collided with him on a ground ball. He was named a Freshman All-American by both Louisville Slugger and the NCBWA for his strong season. He was CalPolyMattJenseninvited to tryout for the 2009 USA Collegiate National Team but the injury to his shoulder didn’t allow him to participate.

He struggled as a sophomore as he hit .270 in only 36 games while hitting two homers and 32 RBI. His season was cut short when he dislocated his right knee in late April. This was the second straight season that he suffered a season ending injury. He was able to recover quickly as he participated in the 2010 USA Collegiate National Team trials where he hit a grand slam but was not selected for the final team. He spent the time after the trials with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox where he hit .216 with a homer and 16 RBI. Frankie Pilere of Fanhouse.com named him the 47th best prospect for the 2011 MLB Draft in his most recent rankings. (Link)

You can check out the rest of our Top 100 by clicking here.

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