Bloomfield College

About Cruz:  An extremely talented righty, Rafael will be a major piece of the Deacons’ bullpen this season.  A shut-down arm at the back end of the ‘pen, Cruz will use his plus fastball to be a big contributor to the 2012 Deacons.

As a junior:  Appeared in 11 games for Bloomfield, totaling 11.2 innings pitched and posting a 2-1 record...Led all Bloomfield hurlers in ERA, posting a .77 mark in 2011...Held opponents to a .200 batting average while allowing just a single earned run and striking out 11. 

As a sophomore:  Appeared in 14 games for the Deacons, registering a .51 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched...Struck out 13 hitters while walking 10, holding hitters to a 1.93 batting average...Posted a 2-1 record, surrendering just a single earned run and a single extra-base hit.

As a freshman:  Appeared in 13 games, earning a save in 17.1 innings...Struck out 11 hitters.  

Why Rafael chose Division II:  “I knew that Bloomfield College would give me the opportunity to travel up and down the East Coast to showcase my talents against some very competitive teams.  I like that at Bloomfield I can focus my efforts on doing well in school and in baseball.”

Coach Watson on Cruz:  “Raf was a key part of our bullpen last year, and we’re expecting him to have
another solid season at the back end of our ‘pen as a senior this year."