Sacramento Republic sign former Cal Poly midfielder Chase Minter

Sacramento Republic announced earlier today that they have signed former Cal Poly Mustang and 21st overall draft pick in the 2015 MLS Superdraft, Chase Minter, to a contract for the 2016 season.

Rumors that Minter was Sacramento bound had been circulating since last week. He was even seen hanging out with the club last Thursday.

The Heath, Texas native is the third Cal Poly alumnus to join the Republic this offseason, along with forward Mackenzie Pridham and midfielder Matt LaGrassa. The trio are some of the top players to come out of Cal Poly recently, with each showing up at least once in the record books there. Minter is the all-time leader in assists at Cal Poly with 21, second in appearances with 77, and seventh in goals with 16. He was also named the Big West Conference Midfielder of the Year in 2014 and 2015.

"We are delighted to bring in Chase, a player we found at Cal Poly while scouting the college system," said Head Coach and Technical Director Paul Buckle in a club press release. "He is a player that can play two or three positions, but mainly as a left winger. He is full of energy, has an incredible work rate, but is also very comfortable on the ball."

Minter's versatility could be a big help to the Republic throughout the season, and his preference for the left wing spot could help fill the hole left in the starting lineup by the departure of Rodrigo Lopez. Whether he will earn a starting spot or not remains to be seen, but his Cal Poly records and high spot in the draft certainly seem to indicate that his signing adds a considerable amount of talent and potential to the Republic squad.

Minter's signing is also another example of former Big West Conference talent finding its way to the Republic. Including the recently added Cal Poly trio, there are a total of eight former Big West players on the roster, with Alfonso Motagalvan, Danny Barrera, and James Kiffe from UC Santa Barbara; Max Alvarez from Sacramento State; and Cameron Iwasa from UC Irvine rounding out the list.

What do you think of the Republic's signing of Chase Minter? Let us know in the comments.