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Canberra pitcher Will Page-Allen will play Division I baseball next season, after confirming he will be transferring to the Fresno State Bulldogs.

20-year-old Page-Allen is in his sophomore year at Feather River College in California. He was an oft-used reliever at the Junior College, collecting a 3.44 ERA in 34.0 innings with an 11.91 strikeout per nine inning mark.

After his success, he was invited to a sophomore showcase. Universities from California and other states sent scouts to select potential recruits.

“Afterwards I was contacted by a number of them who were interested in my ability,” says Page-Allen. “California State University, Fresno flew me down for an official visit of their college, which is a chance to see the campus, meet the coaches and get a feel for whether I wanted to study there.”

Page-Allen says he liked the look of the school, loved their great coaches, and decided to accept a scholarship offer.

Success. Page-Allen will play Division 1 at a school who has won a College World Series in the past (2008).

MORE COLLEGE STORIES: Here are more stories and commitments

He wouldn’t have been able to get there if it weren’t for his experience at Feather River.

“[This school] has been a great, life-changing experience. It has been so much fun coming over to a different country and being able to play the sport I love, while continuing my education. It has taught me so much about the world and also myself, and I can’t wait to do this again next year at Fresno State,” he says.

Above: Page-Allen (left) with fellow Aussie Caleb Garven

Page-Allen’s baseball abilities have improved since leaving his Canberra home in 2023.

His velocity has increased from 86-87mph to 90-92mph.

“My ability to meet new people and build connections has improved,” he adds. “I didn’t know anyone over here, I had to start from scratch and build up from there. I have also really improved at just living and taking care of myself – as it’s just me over here, I have really had to grow up and learn to take care of my own business.”

Page-Allen says prospective Australians looking at college should make sure they do lots of research on the schools they’re talking to.

“There are so many different schools where you can play baseball in America, one of them is bound to be a fit for you. Just make sure that it offers what you want to study, that the area it’s in suits you – and finally a little trick is just to picture yourself playing for the team and think to yourself, “can I see myself there?”. That’s what you want to do.”

TOP AUSSIE PERFORMERS UPDATE, FEBRUARY 5, 2025

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We’re now two weekends into the Junior College (JUCO) season and there are dozens of Aussies plying their trade.

The NCAA season begins next weekend.

Here are some big early performing Australians in the JUCO world after two weeks. Did I miss someone who had a big performance? Many apologies! Email me at eric.balnar@baseball.com.au so I can follow along their journey too.

– Max Stagg (South Australia, Central Arizona) – Hit a homer in his first start on January 25.

– Bronson Neave (Victoria, Arizona Western) – Hitting .311 across seven games with 7 RBI.

– Tom Chessell (Queensland, Clarendon College) – Went 2-for-5 in his first two games.

– Blake Barlow (Queensland, Clarendon College) – 2.0 IP, 0ER, 1H and 4 strikeouts in lone appearance

– Koby Chesterton (Canberra, Vernon) – 2.2 IP with no earned runs in debut appearance on January 29

– Quinn Johnson – (New South Wales, Pratt) – 4-for-14 with a homer, 3 RBI and five runs through his first four games

– Blake Gooding – (New South Wales, Hillsborough) – 5-for-13 with 2 RBI through his first five games in sophomore season

Final Stats from Summer Ball
GP- 15
AVG- .341
OBP- .426
3 HR’s
5 2B’s
SLG- .610@PrattBaseball @SeanMac1661 pic.twitter.com/oohUF7B9Kl

— Quinn Johnson (@quinn_j03) July 30, 2024