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Bubba Moreno to play baseball at Westmont
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Bubba Moreno, seen here in a previous game against Bear Creek, was a key player in the line-up for Turlock High this past season, and is hoping to make a mark with the Westmont College Warriors. - photo by Journal file photo

When Bubba Moreno hung up his football cleats at the end of fall, his basketball sneakers at the end of winter and his baseball cleats at the end of spring, he looked towards his collegiate future with athletic uncertainty.

As a three-sport athlete at Turlock High, the senior had options but only one passion: to play football. But despite his heart being on the gridiron, Moreno found himself in a position too perfect to pass up on a path that led to Westmont College’s baseball diamond.

“I got an email from them, never heard of the school or nothing, went to the camp and it was one of those weeks where I went and played and was on fire,” Moreno said. “I really wanted to play football and I had some interest, I was talking to a good amount of coaches. However this school was the best fit for me.”

With a partial scholarship, Moreno will join a Warriors team that finished 41-17 overall and 31-11 in the Golden State Athletic Conference last season. It is unclear what position Moreno will play, or if he will contribute his freshman year, but he is expecting to compete for shortstop.

“The main thing for them was my hitting, but when I go there I’ll most likely be playing infield somewhere,” Moreno said. “They’ve had a lot of true-freshman starts. As far as with me, they’ve told me that the best players are going to play.”

Moreno finished his senior year with a .304 batting average. He recorded 24 hits, 16 runs and 10 RBIs through 79 at bats.

“I’m excited because now I get to see how good I can get in just one sport. I never got to focus on just one sport and I feel if I could have done that I probably could have been a lot better,” Moreno said. “I had a good time at Turlock while it lasted. I had a lot of success, made a lot of good friends and memories, and I’m excited to get started with baseball at Westmont now.”