Rich Gonzales started his collegiate career at Oregon State as a quarterback before leaving the Beavers to start a hall of fame career with the Dons in 1987.

 

In his freshman season with the Dons, Gonzales pitched in 17 games (37 innings) and finished with a record of 1-1 with four saves and a 3.22 earned run average. He was also one of Santa Ana’s best hitters as he posted a .375 batting average with 16 runs batted in.

 

In 1988, the Dons made sure he was hitting full time which led to a monster season as he batted .459 with 95 hits, 60 runs batted in and four home runs to help the program capture its first Orange Empire Conference Championship in 21 years and finish runnerup in the state championships.

 

Gonzales was named First Team All-Orange Empire Conference as a designated hitter and still holds records for single season hits (95), hitting streak (30) and triples (8) for the Dons.

 

Following the 1988 season, the slugger out of Diamond Bar was rewarded with a scholarship to California State University, Fullerton where he played two more years and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education.