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Senior first baseman Jason Ajamian is thriving at his first Division 1 destination, Cal State University of Northridge (CSUN), which scouted him during his two seasons playing for the Ventura County Pirates under General Manager George Vranau.
“George gave me the opportunity to play in front of scouts and get some Division 1 offers, so I’m pretty appreciative of him and that whole experience.” Ajamian said.
Ajamian has worked hard to make the opportunity of playing in front of Division 1 coaches pay off. During his final season with the Pirates, Ajamian led the team in home runs (9) and OPS (1.283) while hitting .425 and slugging 12 doubles in 38 games played. His performance earned him the 2019 Sunset Baseball League Player of the Year award.
Once he arrived at CSUN, Ajamian continued to produce productive plate appearances. He showed discipline at the plate in his first season with the Matadors, earning seven free passes compared to just six strikeouts in the COVID-shortened season.
This season, Ajamian is hitting .300 for the Matadors. Half of his hits have gone for doubles and he is tied for third on the team with 5 RBIs in 6 games so far.
“I take a lot of pride in being an overall hitter,” Ajamian said. “I don’t want to be a first baseman that’s just power heavy.”
Ajamian is not just an all-around hitter, he is an all-around player. He is committed to learning the game and increasing his year-to-year performance in multiple areas.
“Jason works really hard, he puts the time in,” CSUN assistant coach Eddie Cornejo said.
Ajamian’s improvements in baserunning demonstrate his desire to continually improve his game. He credits Vranau for increasing his productivity in that area while Ajamian was playing for the Pirates.
“I would say my first five or six games [as part of the Pirates organization] my baserunning was just horrendous.” Ajamian said. He guided me through and taught me some of the baserunning aspects and really helped me out there.”
The work paid off. In his final season with the Pirates Ajamian stole four bases and was second on the team with 33 runs scored.
On the other side of the ball, Ajamian has exceptional defensive abilities. He has been the starting first baseman for 17 of CSUN’s 21 games since he joined the team last season and has yet to commit an error with the Matadors.
“He plays a tremendous defensive first base,” Cornejo said. He can catch the ball, he can really throw it, and he has a keen awareness of time and space.”
Ajamian’s collegiate baseball eligibility will expire after this season. Although he says he wants to focus on his current game without looking too far into the future, he does hope that he can earn an opportunity to play at the next level.
“If that [MLB draft] opportunity does arise, I’m gonna be ecstatic,” Ajamian said. “It’s always been a dream of mine.”