UC Santa Barbara
2016 All-Big West Honorable Mention
Career Stats: .309/.381/.406, 109 games, 165 at-bats, seven doubles, three triples, one home run, 24 RBIs, 16 walks, 35 Ks, six stolen bases, .962 fielding percentage
2016: His fourth year in the program, Gradford made a career-high 59 appearances including 31 starts ... 24 of his starts came in right, seven came in left ... Slashed .331/.412/.454 on the year with 11 extra-base hits, 18 RBIs, 13 walks, and 25 strikeouts in 130 at-bats ... After the regular season, was named an All-Big West Honorable Mention ... Was the lone UCSB regular to finish with a batting average over .300 ... Swiped four bags in eight attempts ... His three triples were tied with JJ Muno for the team lead ... Was UCSB's hottest hitter down the stretch, batting .364 in May ... Hit one of the biggest home runs in UCSB history in the first game of the Nashville Regional vs. Washington on Jun. 3. Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the 12th, he hit a solo bomb over the high left field wall at Vanderbilt's Hawkins Field to extend the game and set up Austin Bush's walk-off homer two innings later ... That clutch home run was the first and only of his UCSB career ... Had three hits in 11 College World Series at-bats, including a double in UCSB's 5-3 win over Miami ... Was 2-8 in the Louisville Super Regional, notching a single in both games ... Went 3-13 overall in the Nashville Regional, where he hit in the No. 3 or No. 4 spot in the lineup every game ... Batted .250 overall in the postseason (8-32) ... Had a hit in 18 of the final 22 games of the regular season ... Batted .375 against right-handed pitchers ... Early in the year, was used mostly as a defensive sub ... Started the final nine games of the regular season ... Batted a team-high .357 in Big West games ... Went 3-5 with two triples at UC Irvine on May 20 ... Ninth Gaucho ever to have multiple triples in a game ... Had three hits and a career-high four RBIs vs. CSU Bakersfield on Mar. 22 ... Missed his graduation ceremony to participate in the Lousiville Supers ... He and teammate Justin Kelly celebrated the Super Regional win at Louisville on the field with their caps and gowns on ... Over the summer, played six games for the Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League ... Had one hit in 10 at-bats with Cotuit.
2015: Redshirted.
2014: The utilityman made 22 apperances for UCSB as a sophomore, including four starts ... Had at least one start in each outfield spot ... Ended the year with a .238/.240/.238 slash line, five hits, three runs, four RBIs, five strikeouts, one walk, and one stolen base (two attempts) in 21 at-bats ... Went 2-4 with a run driven in a 6-0 win at USF on May 18 ... Batted .300 (3-10) with runners on base and .429 (3-7) with runners in scoring position ... Was 1-7 as a pinch-hitter ... Played summer ball for the Atwater Aviators of the Golden League: .284/.420/.414, 32 GP, 116 AB, 33 H, 25 R, 26 BB.
2013: As a freshman, played in 28 games with a pair of starts ... Batted .214 with five runs scored and two RBIs ... Mostly used a late inning defensive replacement and pinch runner, committing just one error and going 1-1 in stolen base attempts ... Had an RBI single in his first NCAA at-bat, against UCLA on Feb. 26 ... Went 2-5 with two walks and two runs scored in his pair of starts.
High School: Played four years of ball at Thomas Downey HS in Modesto, Calif. under head coach Kreg Moore and the Knights … Also earned a varsity letter for Kevin Moore playing basketball … Two-time First Team All-League, First Team All-Academic in 2011, First Team All-District 2012 … Led the Knights to a Modesto Metro Conference Championship in 2011.
Personal: Born to parents Alonzo and Katrina on Aug. 1, 1994 in Modesto, Calif. … He is the eldest of his three other siblings, Alyssa, Jehiel, and Ezekiel … Currently majoring in chemistry … Aspires to play Major League Baseball … Favorite sports team is the Oakland Athletics … Favorite athletes are Starlin Castro, Russell Westbrook, and Adrian Beltre … Favorite sports memory is winning his high school conference championship … Favorite movie is Pineapple Express … Favorite TV show is The Big Bang Theory … Listens to Kanye West … Drafted in the 34th round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics.
