Calhoun chooses Wildcats

Benicia infielder Willie Calhoun was a highly recruited 2013 prospect, and ultimately decided to give a verbal commitment to the Arizona Wildcats.

"The biggest factor of me with choosing Arizona was on a visit I did last year with one of my NorCal teammates," said Calhoun. "We had a chance to tour the facility and meet with [Head] Coach [Andy] Lopez. I loved everything about the campus from the workout facilities to the campus itself. Coach Lopez was in my mind the type of coach that could be an awesome coach to play for and learn a lot from but a mentor. I left the campus saying that if he ever called me with a chance to play for him and learn that it wouldn't be a chance I would want to miss. I left there with nothing but good feelings about the way he coaches his players and the way he is as a person."

During the past season, Calhoun held an outstanding .450 batting average with 13 doubles, four triples, and four homers. He also had 25 RBIs and 14 stolen bases, along with 12 walks compared to only three strikeouts. Calhoun helped lead the Panthers to a 22-5 record, although their season ended in a 9-2 loss to El Camino in the second round of the Sac Joaquin Section Division III playoffs.

"For me the past year at high school has been such a successful season with our team winning 22 games and trying to win another section championship," added Calhoun. "We were a young team and we got to the second round in playoffs and unfortunately lost but our hopes are to get there again next year and make a run for another championship before I graduate. For me personally, I was able to grow as a player with a lot of guidance from my high school coach. He never put pressure on me or lost confidence in me as a player and a student of the game."

Regarding Calhoun's play, Benicia head coach Jim Bowles added, "He was our most consistent and most powerful player. He hit over .450 and led the team in home runs, triples, extra-base hits and stolen bases. He only made three defensive errors all year. He works just as hard on his defensive skills as he does on his offensive skills. We were a very young team last year and Willie volunteered to be our closer on the mound until we could develop one of our younger pitchers. Willie did a great job in that role then graciously stepped aside when one of our sophomores was ready for the job."

In addition to the Wildcats, there were many other programs recruiting the 5-foot-8, 170 pounder. He held offers from Cal Poly, Long Beach State, and UC Riverside, and had lots of other schools who wanted him to visit their campus to offer the infielder. Calhoun also took many unofficial visits to make a well informed decision, and was on the campus of Arizona, Arizona State, Cal Poly, Oregon, San Jose State, UCLA, UC Riverside, and USC. He had planned to visit Fresno State, Loyola Marymount and Santa Clara as well, but will not be taking those tours.

On the diamond, Bowles believes Calhoun's swing is his biggest strength. "Willie has such an explosive swing," Bowles said. "He is very quick to the ball and his swing packs quite a punch despite him not being a big person. Willie also has some of the best baseball instincts that I've seen. He is a great base runner because of those instincts. He is an aggressive base runner who has a knack for knowing when to try and take an extra bag."

To further improve, Calhoun plans to work on his defense, speed, and agility. He was recently named to the Oakland A's Area Code roster, which should give Calhoun a chance to improve while also competing at a high level.

Off of the field, Calhoun holds a 3.0 GPA and his favorite subject is math. He is interested in majoring in Criminal Justice or Sociology so he can pursue a career in Law Enforcement.

At the next level, the future Wildcat will be joining an already talented squad. Arizona, who won this year's national championship, finished the past season with a 48-17 record and a 20-10 mark in Pac-12 play. The team had a collective .329 batting average, and Calhoun will look to carry the winning tradition.

"Willie cares a great deal about winning," Bowles added. "Even though he is surrounded by college hype right now he continuously reminds me that he still intends on leading us to a championship season his senior year. Willie isn't happy if he goes 4-for-4 but his team loses. He is a great team player and that is going to help him win the respect of his teammates and coaches at Arizona. He's not a selfish player. Willie is also very respectful and coachable."

Calhoun was listed on the 2013 Baseball Watch List, and will be one of the many talented senior-to-be prospects. Look for Calhoun to lead the Panthers during his senior year, and then make an impact with the Wildcats soon after.