Shaff-Brown gets baseball scholarship to Colorado Christian

Paloma Valley High School pitcher Travis Shaff-Brown signs his letter of intent to play for Colorado Christian University. Menifee 24/7 photo: Doug Spoon

When you're a left-handed pitcher who throws close to 90 miles per hour in high school, it's a good bet that the college coaches will come calling.

Paloma Valley High School senior Travis Shaff-Brown had a scholarship offer from Division I school Indiana University, but he chose instead to go with Division II Colorado Christian University, sticking with his lifelong dream of living in Colorado and being near family who live there.

Shaff-Brown signed his letter of intent on Wednesday during a ceremony at Paloma Valley. He will join Wildcats teammate Jacob Umathum, who signed with CCU during the early signing period in December.

"I have a lot of family out there and it’s a good program," Shaff-Brown said about his choice of schools. "I’ve always wanted to be in Colorado. When they said they wanted me, I definitely wanted to take it.

"They contacted me and said they wanted to come out and see me. I went there for a visit and really liked it there. I'll be hanging out with Jake and playing ball."

Shaff-Brown said he plans to major in criminal justice with career plans to work for the FBI. Last season, he was 5-0 as a pitcher with a 0.61 ERA. He struck out 46 batters in 34.1 innings for the Wildcats, who finished the season with a 23-4 record.

Wildcats coach Jason Berni said he knows Shaff-Brown will be happy in the environment in Lakewood, Colorado, where he will be surrounded by friends and a high school teammate.

"With the school, it’s very important they feel at home outside of just their sport," Berni said. "It’s got to be a good place academically, a place where they’re going to feel comfortable. The fact that Jake also signed there, they’ll probably room together. That helps a lot. Plus they're both pitchers and they have a really good pitching coach over there (Paul Koss) who played at USC. That will be a tremendous asset for them."

Before Shaff-Brown leaves for Colorado, Berni is looking forward to having him for one more year of high school ball.

"He’s a two-way guy," Berni said. "I think last year he pitched more than he hit. This year we expect him to be a major contributor on the mound and play some outfield. He had a really good fall and winter. He’ll be one of our main guys for sure."