Kats lead SLC, notch ranked recruiting class
8/30/2016 12:00:00 PM | Baseball
HUNTSVILLE – For the second consecutive year, Sam Houston State baseball boasts the Southland Conference's top recruiting class and checks in the top 100 nationally, according to Perfect Game.
The Bearkats are ranked No. 89 nationally one season after touting the country's 85th-best class. To its credit, that recruiting class, consisting of 16 freshmen, played a major role in Sam Houston winning both the Southland regular season and tournament title for the first time in the season.
“We're very fortunate because we're a great university,” third-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “We have incredible support from our president, Dr. (Dana) Hoyt to our athletic director Bobby Williams on down through administration into our alumni, donor and fan base. This is becoming a choice destination and prime destination for a lot of kids.”
In addition to the support, Sam Houston has been boosted by its position in the heart of fertile recruiting ground with major cities and areas within reach of Huntsville.
“We have unbelievable facilities and we have a great location,” Deggs said. “We can be in downtown Houston in an hour, east Texas in 30 or 45 minutes, Dallas in 2 ½ hours and the Austin area in a couple hours. When you sit back and look at support, facilities and location, we can check every box.”
A season ago, five Sam Houston players finished ranked in six top-20 national statistical categories including a pair of first-year players. Catcher Robie Rojas caught 30 runners stealing, the most in the country while third baseman Andrew Fregia finished 11th in triples. Major League Baseball Draft-selection Greg Belton was 14th in saves with 13.
“I think it goes far in terms of the perception and what we're doing,” recruiting coordinator Lance Harvell said of the program success. “Our goal is to win the conference and be the best in the conference. Any time you can have the best recruiting class in the conference, it sends a message. With that being said, our ultimate vision goes far beyond the Southland Conference.”
Helping its cause has been the ability for Deggs' staff to add on to a program already rich in history. Sam Houston's seven NCAA Regional appearances the last 10 years match Texas and are more than Dallas Baptist (6), Baylor (5), Houston (3) and Texas Tech (2).
“The cherry on top is the tradition,” Deggs said. “Kids come here because they want to win championships and play for a paycheck. That's something Sam Houston has been great at the last several years. That makes the difference when we're able to put together some of these recruiting classes together.”
The Bearkats held their first team meeting one week ago and will open fall practice on Monday. The squad returns 23 players from a unit that helped produce Sam Houston's third 40-plus win season in the last five years – a process that begins with recruiting.
“I can't say enough about the job recruiting coordinator Lance Harvell and pitching coach Jay Sirianni do for us on the recruiting side,” Deggs said. “You combine that with Shane Wedd working command central here – we have got three great recruiters and guys that work long hard hours.”
