Baseball Adds Five In Early Signing Period

HARROGATE, TN -- The LMU Baseball program announced today the addition of five student athletes for the 2010-2011 academic year.  The five additions are the most that LMU has added in the early signing period since 2003.  The class includes two college players and three high school players. 

When asked about the early recruiting class, head coach Jeff Sziksai commented, “This is without question our best early signing class since I have been here.  We were looking to add power bats and add pitching depth and accomplished both.  All five of these guys are LMU type of guys, and should help us immediately.”

Here is a list of those signees:

Daniel Bollenbacher - RHP
6’5” 250lbs. - Wabash Valley College
 
Hometown:  Berne, IN
Awards/Honors:  2009: 3-0/16IP/18K/6BB.  HS all conference.
Why he chose LMU:  I chose LMU because it felt like home to me.  I love the atmosphere there, as well as the outstanding facilities.
Other Schools that recruited him:  Huntington University, Taylor University and Valparaiso. 
Sziksai’s Comments:  Daniel has been on our radar since last year.  He is a physical, strong armed kid, with tremendous upside.  His velocity really jumped late in the fall, and we feel like he will only get better.  More important than ability, Daniel has tremendous character and work ethic – which are exactly the type of guys we want to be a part of our program.  We fully expect Daniel to play a key role in our success next season.

Amar Lewis - OF
5’8” 180 lbs. – Herkimer County Community College
 
Hometown:  Troy, NY
Awards/Honors:  2009: First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Region, .463 / 5 HR / 20 doubles
Why he chose LMU:  I chose LMU because of the size of school, class sizes, and great facilities.
Other Schools that recruited him:  Canisius, University of Albany, Tusculum College and Brevard College.
Sziksai’s Comments:  Amar is a very talented hitter.  His numbers and track record speak for themselves.  We plan on him becoming a fixture in the middle of our lineup for the next couple years.  Amar comes from a highly successful junior college program at Herkimer, and brings a winning attitude to LMU.

Carter Pack 1B/3B
6’4” 235 lbs. – Anderson County High School
 
Hometown:  Andersonville, TN
Awards/Honors:  2009:  All-District, All-Tournament, .394/5HR/28RBI
Why he chose LMU:  I Chose LMU for its excellence in academics and outstanding baseball program from which I’ve already observed my brother greatly develop in.
Other Schools that recruited him:  Belmont, Murray State, and University of the Cumberlands
Sziksai’s Comments:  Carter is another player that we have had on our radar for a long time.  He has incredible strength and bat speed, and we expect that he will be a legitimate power hitter in years to come.  Carter fits the mold of what LMU baseball represents with his blue collar attitude and commitment.  We feel extremely fortunate that Carter chose to come to LMU, and we expect him to have an immediate impact in our lineup.

Adam Shuford – INF
5’10” 175 lbs. – Baylor School
 
Hometown:  Chattanooga, TN
Awards/Honors:  2009: All-City, All-State, State record for HR’s in consecutive games; 12 HR/ 11 doubles / 1.518 OPS
Why he chose LMU:  LMU is a great fit for me, and I love the environment.
Sziksai’s Comments:  Adam is another tremendous hitter.  He is a LMU type player:  he has serious bat speed; he plays with a ton of energy and passion, and has outstanding character as well.  Adam is one of the best high school hitters we have signed here in a long time.  He will have an immediate impact as a freshman.

Connor Wise - C/1B
6’2” 205 lbs.  -  Cookeville High School 
 
Hometown:  Cookeville, TN
Awards/Honors:  2009:  .320 / 5 Homeruns; Honorable Mention District 7; 4-yr. starter.
Why he chose LMU:  I chose LMU for their academic reputation and for the opportunity to make a contribution to a successful baseball program. I knew from my first visit that LMU fit me personally and academically. I respect the values of the coaching staff and the emphasis they place on character, academics, and winning at the highest level. I want to earn my degree in nursing and also have the opportunity to attend graduate school at LMU.
Other Schools that recruited him:  East Tennessee State University, King College, Bryant College, and Covenant College
Sziksai’s Comments:  We are thrilled to have Connor choose LMU to continue his career.  He is another physical kid, with tremendous power potential.  Connor’s makeup is off the charts.  He is a fierce competitor, hard worker, great student and a great player on top of that.  We anticipate Connor really thriving in our system.

While these five players will not join the program until next fall, the Railsplitters are busy gearing up for the 2010 season which has them opening up against USC-Aiken in Aiken, SC on February 5th at 4:00pm.

Which fall sport are you looking forward to the most?