Baseball: Upland freshman Chad Plant commits to UC Santa Barbara

Pitcher Chad Plant hasn’t made the varsity team yet at Upland High, because he’s only a freshman, and his coach, Mike Alonso, has seen him pitch just once. But Plant has already committed to UC Santa Barbara before his first high school game.

It’s just another example of colleges deciding to take chances on young players based on workouts, camps and word of mouth.

Plant, a 6-foot-1 right-hander, could have trouble making the starting rotation, since Upland returns Michael Gomez, who signed with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and 6-6 junior Jeff Kross.

But Alonso said he likes what he has heard about Plant.

“Everyone tells me he’s the real deal,” Alonso said.

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