LOS ANGELES – Cal State LA's Gabriel Gentner will begin the next stage of his outstanding baseball career.
 
Gentner, who was one of the best closers in program history, has signed a free-agent contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, Cal State LA head coach Vince Beringhele said. Gentner recorded 16 saves in his two years with the Golden Eagles, many of them in dominating fashion.
 
He had 66 strikeouts in 62 career innings for the Golden Eagles, including 37 in 29 innings in 2017.
 
"I am so happy for Gabe and his family. He worked so hard and grew so much in the last two years," Beringhele said. "I believe Gabe will make the most of his opportunity and move up the ladder in professional baseball as well as return to Cal State LA and finish his degree."
 
Gentner had nine saves this past season and helped Cal State LA reach the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament. He came up big with a pair of dramatic saves when Cal State LA posted three straight wins over UC San Diego to clinch a spot in the tourney.
 
He struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to save Cal State LA's biggest win of the season, a come-from-behind 8-7 win over the Tritons on April 28. The Golden Eagles trailed 7-1 entering the bottom of the seventh inning, but scored seven runs on 10 hits to take the lead.
 
Then, in the series finale, Gentner stranded two in another scoreless inning to preserve a 2-1 win in a seven-inning game on April. A two-run home run by Jorge Garcia gave the Golden Eagles the lead in the top of the inning and Gentner got the final three outs, ending the game via a strikeout with runners on first and second.
 
Gentner's final save came when he preserved Cal State LA's 3-2 win over Cal State Monterey Bay in the CCAA Tournament.
 
 Gentner earned All-CCAA honorable mention as a junior.
 
His 16 career saves are just three behind the record 19 set by Arturo Reyes in 2006-07 and his nine saves in 2017 were just two behind the single-season record of 11, also set by Reyes in 2007.
 
Gentner helped Cal State LA to a 27-24 overall record in 2017. The Golden Eagles had an 11-game  improvement over 2016.