July 29, 2005

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford baseball staff has announced its entire first recruiting class at Samford. Head Coach Casey Dunn and Recruiting Coordinator Tony David released information on 20 baseball players that will soon be a part of the Bulldog program.

The 2005 signing class will feature five Division I and four junior college transfers, with almost half coming from outside of the state, as the staff went into Florida for six athletes. All five Division I players are from programs that went to the NCAA Tournament in 2005, and two of the JUCO transfers played significant roles in reaching the Junior College World Series.

Daniel Davidson (RHP, 6-6, 215, Wake Forest, Huntsville, Ala.) is a tall right- handed pitcher with a lot of Division I experience and a fastball consistently in the low 90's. He finished his first season at Wake Forest with a perfect 3-0 record, throwing three scoreless innings in the NCAA tournament, and being named Honorable Mention Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball.

Pitching mostly in a reliever role as a late game set-up man or closer, Davidson appeared in 50 games for Wake Forest in compiling a 4-3 record with 80 strikeouts in 81 innings during his career while competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), one of the top baseball conferences in the country.

Davidson prepped at Grissom High School in Huntsville where he was an All-State performer and Metro Pitcher of the Year while striking out 142 batters with just 38 walks.

"Daniel is an incredible addition for our team next year," Dunn said. "To add a pitcher of his size, velocity, and experience late in games, fills a huge need for next year's team. He has competed at the highest levels in the ACC and even in the NCAA tournament."

Joshua Ehmke (LHP, 5-10, 180, University of South Alabama, Waterloo, Ind.) is a left-handed pitcher with Division I experience that features an 87-90 mile an hour fastball. He will join Samford next season after two years at the University of South Alabama. In his freshman season for the Jaguars, Ehmke was a key pitcher in the bullpen as well as an occasional weekend starter during conference series. He struck out 50 batters in just over 36 innings pitched. Against Auburn, he struck out five hitters in two-plus innings of work while not allowing a run.

As a sophomore, his longest outing was against the Mississippi State Bulldogs pitching over four innings, allowing one hit, and striking out five. It was his only loss of the season despite giving up only one run.

At Dekalb High in Waterloo, Ind., Ehmke was a three-time All Conference and All Area selection. He still holds the single-game record of 19 strikeouts. In 66 innings, he struck out an incredible 132 hitters with an ERA of 1.27. He led the Indiana Bulls, one of the top summer programs in the country, to a national championship.

"Josh has an outstanding left handed arm," Dunn said. "He is another transfer that comes to us from an NCAA tournament type of program. With that much velocity from the left side and his command, we definitely expect him to contribute to us as a weekend guy next year."

Ehmke chose Samford over Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, and Indiana.

Doug Denson (RHP, 6-1, 185, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Ala.) will be transferring to Samford after spending the last two seasons with the University of Alabama. Denson is an outstanding right-handed pitcher with very good velocity that saw a little mound time on a Crimson Tide team that reached the NCAA tournament this season. After red-shirting his first season in Tuscaloosa, Denson saw a few innings on the mound during the past season while traveling throughout the SEC schedule.

Denson played the previous summer in Nicaragua and Venezuela, pitching 24 innings with 30 strikeouts and a 3.33 earned run average. Denson prepped at Vestavia Hills High School and helped lead his team to a 24-8 record and final ranking of 10th in the 6A poll.

During his junior season, Denson finished with a 3-0 record, with one save and an outstanding 1.47 ERA. He received 6A Honorable Mention All-State honors by the Birmingham News.

"Doug had his pick of baseball programs to go this season," Dunn said. "He is a tremendous talent that will have an opportunity to make a significant impact with our team right away. He will be in the battle for weekend time for sure."

Denson chose Samford over Birmingham-Southern and Memphis.

Michael Marseco (SS, 5-9, 140, St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Miami, Fla.) is an extremely highly touted recruit out of the Miami area. One of the highest profiled players in his area, Marseco is considered one of the top college prospects in the state of Florida. He is a switch-hitting shortstop with surprising power for his size and incredible arm strength from across the field.

During his senior campaign, he helped lead St. Thomas to two separate victories over different teams ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time. Collecting three hits in one contest and two home runs in the other, Marseco continued to impress. He finished the year with seven home runs and hitting near .450. With outstanding glove work, he also turned heads as one of the top defensive infielders in the state.

"Mikey could have gone to any school in the state of Florida," Dunn said. "Obviously, he is an outstanding signee for us that will have the opportunity to make a major impact on our program."

Marseco chose Samford over Florida State, Florida International, and Miami.

Louis Rojas (1B, 6-3, 225, St Petersburg CC, Miami, Fla.) is a power hitting first baseman from St. Petersburg Community College. He played his freshmen season at Florida State University. Rojas helped lead his team to the Junior College World Series, contributing two home runs and hitting .308 in the World Series while advancing to the finals. While batting clean up for SPCC, Rojas hit seven home runs and drove in 58 while hitting .300 on the season after overcoming a slow start.

During his freshman season at Florida State, Rojas appeared in 15 games and had 18 at-bats. At FSU, he scored five runs, walked eight times and hitting .200. In limited plate appearances in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) he had a batting average of .333 while knocking in two runs.

Rojas attended Belen Jesuit Prep High School in Miami, Florida, leading all high school players in the prestigious Miami-Dade County area with a .470 average as a sophomore while hitting seven home runs. He continued his pace into his junior and senior years, hitting over .400 each year with over 10 home runs while leading the team to the finals.

"We saw him late in the season and knew he was the guy we were looking for," Dunn said. "He got past a slow start due to injury, and really drove the ball the last part of the year. He's won every place he has been, playing on a big-time stage at FSU and in the Junior College World Series last season."

Rojas chose Samford over Miami, North Carolina State and Florida Atlantic.

Jeffrey Rodriguez (LHP, 5-11, 165, Pensacola Junior College, Pensacola, Fla.) is a left-handed pitcher who helped lead PJC to the 2004 Junior College World Series, leading the team in appearances and finishing the season at 3-1. He showcases a fastball in the mid 80's, but has been dominant at times in his two years with pinpoint control.

During the 2005 season so far, Rodriguez has alternated from starter to reliever en route to a 3-0 record. He has one save, and only seven earned runs over 42 innings of work for an impressive ERA of 1.50. He also has 39 strikeouts and just 10 walks while only surrendering 31 hits.

Despite being used as a starter and relief pitcher, Samford is signing Rodriguez as a planned starter next season.

"Every one that we have spoken to that has seen him pitch multiple times feels the same," Dunn said. "We are excited to have Jeff with his experience, the number of times he has pitched the last two years and doing it on a big stage in the World Series. PJC has an outstanding program and Jeff is definitely ready to come in and carry a big load for us next season."

Rodriguez chose Samford over Southern Mississippi, West Florida and Chicago State.

Benji Waite (RHP, 6-3, 220, Madison Academy, Huntsville, Ala.) was recognized by Baseball America as the No. 10 Best Prospect in the state of Alabama with top 10 round draft potential as well as being ranked by Baseball America as one of the top prospects in the country. Waite is a hard throwing right-handed pitcher with the added plus of being a potentially powerful left-handed hitter.

In leading his team to an area championship, Waite's record was 7-2 with 52 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched. Offensively, he hit .512 with 12 home runs, 10 doubles and 70 RBI for the 2005 season. He features a fastball in the upper 80's with outstanding off-speed stuff. Waite is expected to contribute both on the mound and in the batter's box at Samford.

"Benji had a great year and is a tremendous signee for us," Samford Head Coach Casey Dunn said. "He is a high profile recruit with a lot of recognition in some publications who had an opportunity to sign with a lot of larger schools. He is a big, strong pitcher with a lot of power potential offensively from the left side."

Waite chose Samford over Tennessee, Alabama, Birmingham Southern, Mississippi State and Jacksonville State.

Justin Aldridge (IF, 6-0, 190, West Orange High School, Ocoee, Fla.) is a left-handed hitting infielder with power potential from an excellent baseball program of West Orange High School just outside of Orlando, Fla. As a senior, Aldridge hit.451, with two home runs, seven doubles, while competing against some outstanding Florida high school competition.

As a junior, he compiled a .479 batting average and an on-base percentage of nearly .700, while again hitting two home runs, seven doubles and only striking out five times. Aldridge's summer season in preparation for his senior year was his best season hitting .592 with five home runs, 14 doubles and 25 stolen bases.

Aldridge will be traveling with a select baseball team to the Dominican Republic for competition this summer. Having played multiple positions in high school, including shortstop, Samford feels they have signed an outstanding hitter with the ability to play a variety of positions.

"We had heard great things about Justin," Dunn said. "He attended our camp in January and put on an offensive show. He is a guy that will swing the bat with pop from the left side, and have the ability to play on the corners or in the outfield as well."

Aldridge chose Samford over Texas Christian University.

Clint Jones (RHP, 5-11, 175, Oak Mountain HS, Birmingham, Ala.) is a hard throwing right-handed pitcher from Oak Mountain High School in Birmingham. Jones helped lead his team to the 6A playoffs as the team's ace pitcher. During his senior campaign, Jones evolved into shutdown closer in the upper 80 mph range with a 3-4 record, 4 saves, a 1.25 ERA, 48 strikeouts and 15 walks.

"Clint is a highly recruited pitcher that had a number of quality options," Dunn said. "We are excited he chose this one. He is expected to contribute right away for us this season as a freshman."

Jones chose Samford over Auburn and South Alabama.

Joseph Ballew (SS, 5-10, 180, Opelika HS, Opelika, Ala.) is a switch-hitting utility player that has produced outstanding offensive numbers in leading Opelika to the 6A playoffs in multiple years. Ballew led his team to a Region championship by hitting over .500, with 12 doubles and three home runs.

As a junior, he hit .426 with 14 doubles, three home runs and 30 RBI. He has been selected two years in a row to the Baseball Coaches Association Top 100 Showcase. He also received the honors as a 6A All-State player as well.

"Joseph has played a number of positions successfully and continued to hit the ball well," Dunn said. "He is an outstanding young man that will make a great addition to this team."

Ballew chose Samford over Troy University.

PJ Fandetti (C, 5-10, 185, St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Miami, Fla.) is a catcher from one of the top high school programs in the state of Florida. Before transferring to St. Thomas Aquinas for his senior season, Fandetti played a role in leading Cypress Bay High School to the 6A state championship in Florida and his team was ranked as high as 15th in the nation.

Currently, Fandetti plays for the X Team out of the Miami area. It is one of the top summer league teams in the state. He is considered an outstanding defensive catcher with the ability to perform right away.

"PJ has done nothing but win with a variety of teams at an extremely high level," Dunn said. "He does a great job behind the plate and continues to improve offensively."

Fandetti chose Samford over Harvard and Columbia.

Eric Lassiter (RHP, 6-4, 215, Bishop State JC, Mobile, Ala.) is a tall hard throwing right-handed pitcher who spent the 2005 season as the dominant ace of the pitching staff at Bishop State. Lassiter attended McGill-Toolin High School where he helped lead them to the 6A semi-finals in his junior year. He showcases a fastball in the upper 80's with the ability to reach the 90 mph mark.

During the 2005 season, Lassiter served as the team's number one starter and finished the season with a 7-3 overall record, a 3.7 ERA, and 64 strikeouts. He had three complete-game shut-outs and narrowly missed out on a fourth in his last outing of the season.

Primarily a starter so far in his college career, Lassiter may either be a starter or a reliever next season at Samford.

"Eric is another guy in our recruiting class that has experience at the college level that we feel can come in right away and help us," Dunn said. "He was clearly the top guy on his team, usually matching up with the opponents' best pitcher. His good velocity and his ability to locate it inside are huge pluses for him."

Lassiter chose Samford over Southern Mississippi.

Joshua VanFleteren (RHP, 6-4, 185, Brentwood Academy, Nashville, Tenn.) is in the process of finishing up a successful senior season at Brentwood Academy, an outstanding baseball program in Tennessee. He led the way for his high school team with a 6-2 record and a 2.54 ERA. Of his 10 games pitched, he completed five of them while striking out 60 in 52 innings pitched.

VanFleteren also performed well this season as a hitter, batting .375 with 13 doubles, two home runs and 33 RBI. He is expected to be used primarily on the mound at Samford.

"Josh is new to pitching the last couple of years and has a tremendous future," Dunn said. "We saw him at our camp in January and again during the season. He is a quality pitcher now but has the chance to be something special in the future."

VanFleteren chose Samford over Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Tennessee Tech.

David Knapp (RHP, 5-10, 165, Lassiter High School, Marietta, Ga.), playing in one of the best baseball regions in the country, has led his high school team to a number one ranking in the state of Georgia serving as the team's ace pitcher. He has an overall record of 6-1 on the season with victories over Roswell High School, the second-ranked team in the country at the time, and Milton High School, defending 6A state champions.

Knapp has an ERA of 1.44 in 44 innings with 50 strikeouts. In addition to his mid 80's fastball, and his curveball and changeup, Knapp's split finger pitch has been a huge part of his 2005 success.

"Davey has had an outstanding season for a powerhouse high school," Dunn said. "Being the number one starter and facing that level of competition in his state will help prepare him for the next level. We are excited to have him in our program for next season."

Knapp chose Samford over Winthrop and Columbus State.

Jonathan Lowery (3B, 6-4, 200, Hillcrest HS, Hillcrest, Ala.) is a big, strong third baseman with power potential from Hillcrest, Ala.

Lowery is an incredible athlete who will be starring on the football field as well during his time at Samford. Despite his unbelievable size, Lowery is considered an outstanding defensive infielder to go along with his offensive skills.

During the 2005 season, he batted .442 with three home runs, 10 doubles and drove in 36 runs. He helped lead his team to the playoffs in 6A Region 5.

"Jonathan is an unbelievable athlete with unlimited potential," Dunn said. "We will not have him in the fall (due to football at Samford), but we are excited to get him on our field in the winter. He has an opportunity to have great careers in two sports here at Samford."

Joe McAbee (LHP, 6-1, 185, American Christian, Tuscaloosa, Ala.) is a left-handed pitcher from state champion American Christian Academy in Tuscaloosa. McAbee pitched his way to an All-State performer for the state of Alabama.

During his senior season, McAbee finished the season with an overall record of 11-0, striking out 100 batters, while walking only 23. He had an ERA of 1.42, while pitching 64 innings. His opponents hit only .181 against him on the season. As a junior, he had an overall record of 6-3 with two saves, while striking out 57, walking 10, and posting an ERA of 1.56 in 63 innings pitched.

McAbee will have an opportunity to see mound time in his freshman season. "We are excited to add Joe to our staff as a quality left-handed pitcher," Dunn said. "He has a deceptive delivery that is very difficult to pick up the ball from. We expect him to get people out right away for us."

Kyle Kilgore (INF, 5-11, 180, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Jasper, Ala.) will be transferring to the Samford baseball program for next season. Kilgore is a speedy athlete that has seen time both in the infield and outfield during his baseball career. His greatest asset is his blinding speed, as he is expected to be the fastest member of the Samford bulldogs.

Before a red-shirt injury year at Alabama-Huntsville, Kilgore spent two seasons in junior college at Beville State-Fayette. He hit just over .300 his sophomore season with 12 doubles and using his speed to lead the team with 21 stolen bases and four triples. His freshmen season he hit just under .300, with 10 stolen bases as he helped lead his team to the World Series.

Kilgore prepped at Walker high school, wrapping up an outstanding high school career by hitting .390 his senior season with one home run, 14 doubles and stealing 28 bases in 29 attempts. Kilgore's speed should be an asset in finding playing time with the bulldogs.

"Kyle is an experienced athlete," Dunn said. "He should be our fastest guy, which has helped us address a need for this team. He will battle in a couple of spots so we can get that speed in the lineup."

Luke Peavy (C, 5-10, 190, University of South Alabama, Semmes, Ala.) is a Division I catching transfer from the University of South Alabama. Peavy will be entering his third year of college after spending the first two at South Alabama. After earning some playing time as a freshman, he sat out last season with an injury.

During his freshman year, Peavy had 16 plate appearances and hit just under .200, with a double included in his hits. He went to high school at St. Paul's in Mobile, one of the top high school programs in the state.

Peavy, along with current Samford teammate Garrett Rice, helped lead the Saints to the 2003 5A state championship by hitting .409 with five home runs and 43 runs batted in. He was on the Mobile Register Deadly Diamond team, was a 5A All-State Team member and was selected to compete in the prestigious East Coast Professional Showcase in Wilmington, N.C., with the Mets organization.

Peavy is expected to come in and compete for the starting catching position.

"Luke played for (current Samford Assistant) Coach (Tony) David at South last year and has shown the potential for power in his past," Dunn said. "He has some experience at a high level and will battle to start and definitely provide depth."

Mark Davis (1B/DH, 6-3, 245, Lake City Junior College, Tarpon Springs, Fla.) is a power-hitting first baseman who will transfer to Samford from Lake City Community College in Florida. Davis received a number of honors at the end of the season including 2005 First Team All-Conference in the Mid-Florida Conference, 2005 First Team All-State for Florida, and 2005 NJCAA Division I Baseball All-Region First Team.

While competing in one of the best states in the country for junior college play, Davis finished the season third in the state with a .390 batting average, second in the state with 65 RBI, fourth in the state in home runs with nine, and second in the state with 20 doubles. He also had a solid freshman season when he hit just under .300, with five home runs, and 35 runs batted in.

Davis played high school at Tarpon Springs where he finished an outstanding high school career with a .420 batting average with eight home runs.

With his power production in a difficult conference, Davis is expecting to provide some punch to the Bulldog lineup.

"Mark has hit all his life," Dunn said. "He performed at an extremely high level in one of the better regions in the country. We are very excited to add his offensive capabilities to our program."

COMPLETE LIST OF SIGNEES
Daniel Davidson (RHP, 6-6, 215, Wake Forest University, Huntsville, Ala.)
Joshua Ehmke (LHP, 5-10, 180, U of South Alabama, Waterloo, Ind.)
Doug Denson (RHP, 6-1, 185, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Ala.)
Michael Marseco (SS, 5-9, 140, St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Miami, Fla.)

Louis Rojas (1B, 6-3, 225, St Petersburg CC, Miami, Fla.)
Jeffrey Rodriguez (LHP, 5-11, 165, Pensacola Junior College, Pensacola, Fla.)
Benji Waite (RHP, 6-3, 220, Madison Academy, Huntsville, Ala.)
Justin Aldridge (SS, 6-0, 190, West Orange High School, Ocoee, Fla.)

Clint Jones (RHP, 5-11, 175, Oak Mountain HS, Birmingham, Ala.)
Joseph Ballew (SS, 5-10, 180, Opelika HS, Opelika, Ala.)
PJ Fandetti (C, 5-10, 185, St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Miami, Fla.)
Eric Lassiter (RHP, 6-4, 215, Bishop State JC, Mobile, Ala.)

David Knapp (RHP, 5-10, 165, Lassiter High School, Marietta, Ga.)
Joshua Vanfleteren (RHP, 6-4, 185, Brentwood Academy, Nashville, Tenn.)
Jonathan Lowery (INF, 6-4, 200, Hillcrest HS, Hillcrest, Ala.)
Mark Lewallyn (RHP, 5-11, 180, Vestavia Hills HS, Birmingham, Ala.)

Joe McAbee (LHP, 6-1, 185, American Christian, Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Kyle Kilgore (INF, 5-11, 180, University of Alabama Huntsville, Jasper, Ala.)
Luke Peavy (C, 5-10, 190, University of South Alabama, Semmes, Ala.)
Mark Davis (1B/DH, 6-3, 245, Lake City Junior College, Tarpon Springs, Fla.)