Daron Sutton Says He’ll Play for UC Irvine

Daron Sutton, son of Angel pitcher Don Sutton, said the oral commitment he made in early July to attend UC Irvine this fall is still very much intact, despite an Associated Press report this week that said Sutton was expected to enroll at Oklahoma State.

“I am committed to UCI and am definitely going,” said Sutton, a right-hander from Capistrano Valley Christian High School. “I had already verbally committed to UCI before I flew out for a trip (to Oklahoma State) two weeks ago.”

Sutton said that although Oklahoma State, the NCAA runner-up this past season, had offered him a half scholarship and given him a letter of intent to sign, he never returned it.

“I had the letter but I didn’t mail it,” he said.

“I have to admit on the flight back, the thought (of signing with OSU) entered my mind. When I came back from the trip, I was so excited, I was sky high.

“But then I started thinking about it. I didn’t want to leave home. UCI has a growing program, and with my dad at the Angels, I can still get help from (pitching coach) Marcel Lachemann.”