Dominguez Hills’ Brady Conlan makes an impression at the World Baseball Classic

Cal State Dominguez Hills senior Brady Conlan is at least four months away from signing a professional baseball contract. But he’s already proved he’s ready to play at that level, collecting three hits, a home run and three runs batted in for the Philippines in two World Baseball Classic qualifying games in Sydney, Australia.

That couldn’t keep the Philippines in the tournament, however, with losses to Australia (11-1) and New Zealand (17-7) sending the team home.

Conlan, a third baseman who played at Chatsworth High, hit .429 in the two games with one of his three hits coming off former Angels reliever Nick Maronde. Last spring, Conlan batted .344 with six homers, a California Collegiate Athletic Assn.-leading 73 hits and 43 RBIs in 54 games for Dominguez Hills, earning all-conference honors.

Conlan’s mother is from the Philippines, which allowed him to play for that country in the World Baseball Classic. But it was former Philippines Manager Jimmy Ramos, who has spent three decades with conference rival Cal Poly Pomona, that helped get him on the team.

“When I heard about it, I kept asking, ‘Who do I have to talk to? I really want to play for them. I would love to represent the Philippines’,” Conlan told the website mlb.com. “It was a blessing. It got through and approved by the NCAA. I was really happy.”

He wasn’t the only player with Dominguez Hills ties on the roster. Pitcher Devon Bryce Ramirez, who left the school before Conlan arrived, started against New Zealand, giving up three runs (two earned) in 2 2/3 innings.

Ramirez, who played independent ball after college, also played for the Philippines in the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifiers. And that piqued Conlan’s interest when Ramirez visited his old school.

“My first year at Dominguez, I saw him come back decked out in Philippines gear, and I was like, ‘Dude, let me get on that team. I’m Filipino’,” he told mlb.com. “That kind of set the table for me.”

Twitter: @kbaxter11