Darlington Signs Four Players From San Diego Colleges

AppleSox head coach Mitch Darlington announced on Thursday the addition of four different players from San Diego-area universities. Christian Garcia, Cade Martinez and Jack McWilliams come to the AppleSox from the University of San Diego while Kaden Smith joins this summer’s squad from the University of California, San Diego.

Garcia is an incoming freshman at San Diego who is in his senior year at Clairemont High School. He posted a 0.94 ERA with 90 strikeouts and 22 walks over 59.1 innings in 12 games last year. The San Diego native limited opposing hitters to a .158 batting average after holding them to .197 in 2023. 

Martinez is an infielder in his first year at San Diego after two seasons with San Diego State. He played in 19 games last season but was a regular for the Aztecs in 2023, suiting up in 49 games. He ranked in the top 20 nationally with eight sacrifice hits as a freshman and was a 2023 Mountain West All-Academic selection. The San Diego native graduated from St. Augustine High School in 2022 after hitting .235 in 93 games of varsity baseball over three seasons. 

McWilliams provides impressive utility skills to the 2025 AppleSox as both an outfielder and a left-handed pitcher. The freshman at San Diego graduated from Cathedral Catholic High School last spring and recorded a 3.71 ERA with 21 strikeouts over 28.1 innings in 14 games over two seasons of varsity baseball. 

Smith is a freshman catcher at UC San Diego. He graduated from Santa Cruz High School last spring and helped them earn second place in the 2024 CIF Central Coast Section Championship. The Santa Cruz native was a two-time Santa Cruz Coast Athletic All-League, earning First Team honors in 2024 and Second Team honors in 2023. 

The AppleSox open up their 25th season May 30 when they face the Yakima Valley Pippins at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium. The 2025 season consists of 30 home games and concludes in mid-August. Ticket packages, including season tickets for as low as $150 and 10-game flex packs for $65, are available for purchase at applesox.com/season-tickets