SPARTAN NOTES: In his third season with the Spartans...was recruited as a catcher/third baseman but worked primarily as a catcher to begin his college career...competing for time at the designated hitter, third base and catcher spots...has developed into one of the toughest players in the nation to strike out...enters the 2009 season on an 11-game active hit streak...2007-08 Academic All-WAC honoree and two-time San Jose State University Scholar-Athlete...serves as a baseball team representative on the Spartan Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and as a member of the NCAA Leadership Council.

2008: Hit .288 with 30 runs scored and increased his RBI total from two in 2007 to 33, second-most on the team...struck out just eight times in 170 at-bats, an average of once every 21.25 at-bats, good enough for 13th in all of Division I...actually had more hit-by-pitches, nine, than strikeouts...ended the year on a career-best 11-game hit streak...had the most starts of any Spartan, 26, in the cleanup spot of the batting order...first collegiate home run came in a 10-9 home win over rival Santa Clara (3/1), a two-run shot in a three-run first...finished 4-for-5 in that game, with two runs and two RBI...went 2-for-8 with a run, steal and season-high three RBI against Hawai’i (4/4)...also hit home runs at La. Tech (3/28) and at Sacramento State (4/11)...went 3-for-4 with a run at Fresno State (5/9)...scored a season-best three runs against SFSU (4/30)...led the team with six sacrifice hits and five sacrifice flies...was involved in a pair of walk-off home wins for the Spartans, drawing a bases-loaded walk in the 10th to beat Hawai’i-Hilo (4/23), and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch against Utah Valley (3/9)...had 10 multi-hit and 10 multi-RBI games, the latter total tied for the team lead...changed his uniform number from 29 to 7 prior to the season...had a strong fall season as a catcher and hitter...played for the Humboldt Crabs (Coach Matt Nutter) of the Horizon Air Summer Series in Arcata, Calif., over the summer, leading the team in hit-by-pitches.

2007: Made 16 appearances, including his first college start as the designated hitter at home against Stanford (3/27), when he went 0-for-2 with two walks and his first collegiate stolen base...walked four times, scored five runs and drove in a pair...was called on to pinch hit with nobody out in the ninth inning and the tying run at third base in the series finale against Utah (2/18) for his Spartan debut, and promptly singled to center on the first pitch he saw as a collegian to drive in the run, before scoring the game-winner on a double...scored twice at Louisiana Tech (4/28)...went 1-for-1 with one run and one RBI at home against Fresno State (5/6)...other hit also came at home against Santa Clara (3/4)...fielded seven of eight defensive chances cleanly...played for the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League (HCBL) champion Kamuela Paniolos (Coach Mark Hirayama) with current teammate Karson Klauer during the summer.

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS HIGH SCHOOL: Lettered all four years in baseball (Coaches Damon Summers, Joe Gill) at Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento, Calif....was a three-time all-league, two-time team Most Valuable Player and 2006 team Best Pitcher honoree...hit .308 with two home runs in 2004 and .333 as a senior in 2006...in 2005, batted .452 with one home run, 14 other extra-base hits, 20 RBI, a .506 on-base percentage and .671 slugging percentage.

COREY: Majoring in justice studies...enjoys bowling, watching movies and playing PlayStation2...played club baseball for the El Dorado Hills Vipers (Coach Dan Sozzi), 2006 Summer Series champions...also played for West Sacramento American Legion, coached by former Spartan teammate Corey Cabral’s father, John Cabral...has three older siblings, Brandon, Casey and Holly, and a younger sister, Chelsie...parents are Ken and Kelly Valine...Corey Kenneth Valine was born in Sacramento, Calif., on February 16, 1988.

Valine’s Career Hitting Statistics
Year GP/GS Avg. AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB HB K S/SF SB-SBA
2007 16/1 .167 18 5 3 0 0 0 2 4 0 2 0/0 1-1