Baseball: Hunter Virant getting ready for comeback season

UCLA’s pitcher signees from the class of 2012 were pretty impressive: Lucas Giolito, Max Fried, James Kaprielian, Hunter Virant, Cody Poteet.

Virant, out of Camarillo High, was supposed to have a big-time left-handed arm. He was an 11th-round draft pick of the Astros but decided to enroll at UCLA. He struggled as a freshman, making just five appearances, and missed all of last season trying to recover from a stress fracture in his back.

He’ll be a redshirt sophomore this season, and early word is that Virant has regained his health and figures prominently in the Bruins’ plans for next spring.

Twitter:@LATSondheimer