All-South Coast Conference First Team pitcher Race Gardner, a letterman for the 2018 Pasadena City College baseball team, has committed to the University of Hawaii at Hilo on scholarship for his junior season in 2019.

Signing in the NCAA early period, Gardner locked away the rest of his college future in order to concentrate on his sophomore season with the Lancers next January. 

Receiving interest also from Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal Poly Pomona, the English major and starting hurler chose the NCAA Division II Vulcans as his next stop. PCC head coach Pat McGee's list of university scholarship players is now at 18 going into his fourth season directing the Lancers program.

McGee said: "Race has tremendous poise and that made him an asset when we needed a big start. I'm happy for him to reach that goal of signing a scholarship with a 4-year university. He will provide some veteran leadership for our staff as a returning sophomore."

"Coach McGee said that with winning, scholarship offers will come, and that's exactly what happened for me," Gardner said. "Winning a conference title for the first time in 45 years was a big deal, but beating Riverside was special. I felt like we had something still to prove because Riverside has always been a strong program."

Gardner pitched PCC's only complete game of the season, a 7-hitter with five strikeouts to give the Lancers a 3-2, SoCal Playoff win over the RCC, advancing Pasadena to the Super Regionals.

Gardner, who throws four different pitches, led the team with six wins (6-5 record) and pitched in a team-high 14 starts. His 77.2 innings also led the staff. Earlier in the conference season, he pitched a victory over SCC South Division co-champion Long Beach City College.