Baseball inks seven during fall early signing
11/12/2008 1:00:00 AM | Baseball
Five high school seniors and two junior college student-athletes have signed letters-of-intent to play baseball for Sam Houston State on the first day of the 2008 fall early signing period, Bearkat head coach Mark Johnson has announced.
The high school signings include infielder Ruston Harris of Grandview, catcher/pitcher Michael Hilliard of Cy-Woods, pitcher Ryan Sasaki of Connally High School in Pflugerville, infielder Tyler Farrow of Elkhart and pitcher Andrew Massey from Georgetown.
The junior college signees are Brenham product Chris Andreas, an outfielder for Angelina College and Austin's Doug Oney, catcher from Temple College.
Information on each of the Bearkat baseball early signings:
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Chris Andreas will join the Bearkats in the spring of 2010 after a stellar career at Angelina College under head coach Jeff Liven. Chris is originally from Brenham High School were he was an all-state selection his senior year. Last season he hit .345 with 11 HRs for Angelina College on his way to becoming a 1st team All-Conference performer. Chris was a participant in the Tex/New Mexico Junior College All-Star game in Waco, TX. “Chris brings power potential to the left side of the plate and has the ability to change the game with one swing of the bat. He is a physical athlete that can run, throw and hit. We look forward to seeing him here in Huntsville.” -- Head Coach Mark Johnson |
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Tyler Farrow Tyler comes to Sam Houston by way of Elkhart High School. Tyler is a 4-year varsity letter winner in baseball and football. He was named the district “Newcomer of the Year” in 2006. In 2007 he was named 1st Team All-District SS. In 2008 Tyler was named the districts Most Valuable Player on his way to being an All-State selection. Tyler competes with the Arlington A's organization during the summer. “Tyler is a very athletic player that has tremendous power potential. He has the potential to be a great offensive force in his time here at Sam Houston. We look for great things out of Tyler and we are glad to have him.” -- Head Coach Mark Johnson |
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Ruston comes in as a three-time All-District INF from Grandview High School. As a freshman Ruston was named district “Newcomer of the Year” after hitting .495. In his sophomore season he hit .598 with 3 Homeruns, 17 2Bs and 11 3Bs on his way to being named district and county “Offensive Player of the Year.” In 2008 Ruston was named 1st Team All-State at 3B after hitting .589 with 9HR. He also competes during the summer and fall seasons with the Waco Storm run by Todd Haney. “We are thrilled to have Ruston in our program. He has great potential at the plate and we look for him to be a solid offensive contributor in the early going” ? Head Coach Mark Johnson |
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Michael Hilliard Michael comes to us from Cypress Woods High School in Houston. He was a member of the 2008 Texas Area Code Team that represented the Texas Rangers in Long Beach at the Area Code games. He was also a participant in the 2008 Texas Scouts Association Game played at Dell Diamond. “Michael is a very athletic player that will fill a multitude of rolls for us. He has great arm strength both on the mound and behind the plate. He is a great competitor and we expect him to have an early impact on our program.” -- Head Coach Mark Johnson |
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Andrew Massey Andrew comes from Georgetown High School and competes with the Austin Slam during the fall and summer months. In 2008 Andrew was 3-1 with a 3.12 ERA and recorded 29 strikeouts in 29 innings of work. He recorded a 1-hit shut out of Kerrville Tivy in 2008. Andrew was part of a pitching staff at Georgetown that had 3 Division-1 pitchers. “Andrew is a very projectable RHP that has a great future. He is a strike thrower that can throw the ball with tremendous tilt. I expect him to get considerable time on the mound in the early going.” -- Head Coach Mark Johnson |
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Doug will join the Bearkat program after spending this season at Temple College under Craig McMurtry. Doug was a Centex All-Star after his senior campaign at Round Rock Westwood High School. Doug had a stellar fall with Temple before deciding to come to Sam Houston. He also played summer baseball with the Austin Slam headed by Tommy Boggs. - “Doug will fill a very important need for us as we will be losing two senior catchers after this season. We fell he can step in and play and is a solid match for our program. He has good athletic ability and will only get better with time.” -- Head Coach Mark Johnson |
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Ryan joins the 2009 signing class by way of Pflugerville Connally High School. Ryan was an All-District performer in 2008 after posting a 1.09 ERA. Ryan was also invited this summer to participate in the Texas Scouts Association Game held at Dell Diamond. Ryan plays for Tommy Boggs and the Austin Slam during the summer. “Ryan has tremendous ability from the left side of the mound. He is a big athletic pitcher that has potential for”electric stuff.” We see Ryan being a early contributor in our program. As a left handed pitcher he will be an asset to our pitching staff immediately. -- Head Coach Mark Johnson |
