Jordan Fox, a left-handed utility player with the 10th-ranked University of California-Irvine Anteaters baseball team, is among four players who have inked contracts for the 2010 season with the Cowlitz Black Bears of the West Coast League.

In addition, Cal-Irvine infielder Pierce Bily, Cal Poly-Pomona pitcher Kevin Bosson and Loyola Marymount University outfielder Nick Truhan have also reached agreements to play for the Black Bears beginning in June.

The foursome join catcher/relief pitcher Nolan Clark of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, the Black Bears’ first-ever signee, on the team’s inaugural roster.

Fox, a sophomore at Cal-Irvine and a graduate of Bishop Amat Memorial High School in LaPuente, Calif., is expected to start at first base for the Anteaters this spring.

“We’re expecting to use Fox at first base and in the outfield,” Black Bears coach Bryson LeBlanc said. “Jordan can flat-out hit and he’ll bring a level of maturity to this young team.”

Fox holds Bishop Amat’s single-season hits record with 59, and is featured in the school’s Hall of Fame. He was named the 2008 California Interscholastic Federation and San Gabriel Valley Player of the Year, and earned first-team all-state honors. As a freshman at Cal-Irvine, he hit .289 in 25 games, including eight starts.

“We’re not only excited to have Jordan Fox for the 2010 season, we’re excited to develop our relationship with coach Mike Gillespie and UC Irvine for years to come,” Black Bears general manager Grant Wilson said.

Bily, a graduate of Anaheim’s Orange Lutheran High School, was named to the Rawlings Baseball All-American team, and earned first-team honors at the 2008 National Showcase hosted by the PerfectgameUSA.org Web site.

According to the Web site, Bily “has a strong, lean build and is very good in the infield. His arm works well, and he has fluid infield actions and great hands. He has good bat speed at the plate and hits hard line drives to all fields, and showed he can run with a 6.88 60-yard dash time.”

Truhan, a graduate of Westlake High in Westlake Village, Calif., is a speedy center fielder who hit .384 as a senior, his only season on the diamond.

Bosson, who graduated from Claremont High in Claremont, Calif., was Cal Poly-Pomona’s top pitcher as a freshman. In 11 starts spanning 59 innings, he compiled a 4-5 record with a 4.55 earned run average. He scattered 57 hits and struck out 46.

The Black Bears are members of the West Coast League, a nine-team, wood-bat summer college league. The team’s 54-game schedule includes 30 home games at David Story Field.

For details about the Black Bears or to secure season tickets, visit www.westcoastleague.com/cowlitz

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