Seniors are closing out college baseball careers

With the academic year winding down, it’s time for most college seniors across the country to begin facing the inevitabilities of the real world.

For college baseball players, it means the possible end of their competitive athletic careers.

Here is a look at some selected seniors, with local ties, and how things are going as their four or five years in school are coming to a close:

The most famous former local player to play baseball at Georgia Tech was Nomar Garciaparra, who went on to a establish himself as a major league star after his time at Bellflower St. John Bosco and now starts at first base for the Dodgers.

This season, Georgia Tech features another former local in senior outfielder Wally Crancer (Norco HS/Riverside City College), who has helped the Yellow Jackets to a No. 24 national ranking and third place in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Crancer’s two-run single in the eighth inning Sunday sparked a 12-run outburst in Georgia Tech’s 12-2 victory over South Florida.

On April 20, Crancer came through with a ninth-inning two-run double that gave Georgia Tech an important 2-1 victory over North Carolina State.

Through Sunday, Crancer had played in 43 games this season and was fourth on the team with a .343 average. His five home runs tied him for third on the team and his 39 runs batted in ranked second. Crancer also had a .488 slugging percentage and a .415 on-base percentage.

Gonzaga is coming off a three-game sweep of Loyola Marymount that pushed the Bulldogs into second place in the West Coast Conference behind San Diego.

Senior shortstop Aaron McGuinness (Crescenta Valley HS) has started all 51 games for 31-20 Gonzaga.

McGuinness has been a steadying influence and is batting .288 with five home runs, 10 doubles and 32 RBIs.

It is the first time since 1990 that Gonzaga has won at least 30 games. The Bulldogs play an important three-game series at third-place Pepperdine this weekend.

Ahead of Gonzaga is San Diego, which has won nine in a row and needs only one victory (or losses by Pepperdine and Gonzaga) over Santa Clara this weekend to clinch the regular-season conference title.

Senior right-hander Anthony Slama (Santa Ana Mater Dei HS/Santa Ana College) has played a vital role out of the bullpen for the Toreros, who are 38-14 overall and 16-2 in the conference.

Slama has made 20 appearances and is 2-2 with a 3.10 earned-run average. He has 32 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings and has one save.

Also in the WCC, San Francisco has three senior locals, though the Dons are next to last in the standings with a 6-12 record and a 24-26 overall mark.

One of the top contributors is right-hander Jason Dufloth (Cerritos Gahr HS/Long Beach City College), who has a team-high 14 starts. Dufloth is 5-4 with a 3.43 ERA in 81 1/3 innings.

Senior catcher Jonathan Norfolk (Moreno Valley Valley View HS) is fourth on the team in average at .324 and also has nine doubles, two home runs and 23 RBIs.

Senior infielder Blake Nelson (Oak Park HS) has started 27 games and has three home runs and 13 RBIs.

It’s another average season for Coach Tony Gwynn at San Diego State as the Aztecs have struggled to a 27-25 record and are 11-10 in the Mountain West Conference and in third place as their losing streak reached eight last weekend after being swept by Nevada Las Vegas.

The only local senior, catcher Frank LoNigro (Placentia El Dorado HS), is having a fine season, however. LoNigro is tied for the team lead with six home runs and 14 doubles, and is batting .311 with 35 RBIs.

Speaking of Nevada Las Vegas, senior second baseman Keith Smith (Anaheim Katella HS/Irvine Valley College) is leading the Rebels with a .340 average, having started all 49 games for the 18-31 squad.

Smith leads the team in hits (69), runs (38), RBIs (33) and is tied for the lead in doubles (12). Smith also has four home runs.

Another Las Vegas senior, left fielder Blake Gailen (Woodland Hills El Camino Real HS/Glendale College), has contributed as well. Gailen has started 38 of the 46 games in which he has played and is batting .282 with four home runs and 30 RBIs. His 41 runs scored lead the team, his 12 doubles tie him with Smith, and he also has three triples.

Utah senior third baseman Erich Kemp (Hemet HS), a first-team All-American at Palomar College before going to Salt Lake City, is hitting .294, having started 41 of the 43 games in which has played this season.

Kemp has one home run, five doubles and 13 RBIs for the 21-25 Utes.

In the Pacific 10 Conference, California salvaged the last game of a three-game series at No. 11 UCLA with a 16-0 victory Sunday.

Senior third baseman Brett Munster (Chatsworth HS) was two for five with a double. For the season, Munster is batting .321 with nine doubles, one home run and 19 RBIs, having started 37 games for the 24-24 Golden Bears.

Hawaii is in fourth place in the Western Athletic Conference and two seniors who are former locals have helped the Warriors to a 31-19 overall record and 9-9 in the conference.

Third baseman Justin Frash (Camarillo HS/Oxnard College) is second on the team with a .353 average, having started 49 of the 50 games in which he has played although some of the starts have come at designated hitter.

Frash leads the team with a .493 on-base percentage and has three home runs and 28 RBIs with 60 hits, 45 runs and 16 doubles.

Part-time starter Jorge Franco (Gardena HS/L.A. Harbor College), who plays infield and outfield, has been in 41 games for the Warriors. He is batting .242 with five doubles, one home run and 10 RBIs.

Just ahead of Hawaii in the WAC standings is Nevada (27-22, 11-7), which features senior catcher Baker Krukow (San Luis Obispo HS).

Krukow plays a number of positions, including catcher, first base and designated hitter. He has played in 42 games, starting 33, and is batting .316 with one home run and 17 RBIs.

Krukow is the son of Mike Krukow, a broadcaster for the San Francisco Giants who played 13 seasons in the major leagues with the Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs.

Immediately below Hawaii in the WAC standings is Sacramento State (16-32, 10-14) and three locals have contributed in their final seasons.

Right fielder Montana Dye (Glendora HS/Saddleback College) is second on the team with a .327 average, starting 44 of the team’s 48 games. Dye also has 11 doubles, five home runs and 31 RBIs and has a team-leading .431 on-base percentage.

On the mound, left-hander Mick Joyce (Temecula Chaparral HS) has started 11 games and made 13 appearances overall. He is 4-5 with a 5.51 ERA and a team-high 43 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings.

It hasn’t been quite as successful for right-hander Cyrus Sarraf (Lake Forest El Toro HS/Irvine Valley College), who is 0-4 in 21 appearances with an 8.58 ERA in 35 2/3 innings.

Davidson has struggled to a 17-29 record this season and is last in the Southern Conference, but senior right fielder Blake Osborn (Anaheim Servite HS) is second on the team with a .359 average.

Osborn has a team-high 15 doubles and one home run and 26 RBIs.

Osborn, who transferred from UC San Diego, also has pitched during his career although this season he has made only one appearance.

Next week, we’ll take a look at some former local softball players who will soon be completing their final collegiate seasons.

“From Here to There” is a weekly web-exclusive column that appears Wednesdays during the academic year. If you are aware of a former area prep standout competing in sports and excelling at the collegiate level or elsewhere, please let us know. Send any leads, tips or ideas to: jim.barrero@latimes.com.