Frog baseball inks nine for 2009
11/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 14, 2007
2007 Baseball Signee Photo Gallery
FORT WORTH, Texas - TCU Baseball Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle announced the signing of nine athletes to National Letters of Intent. Eight of the nine signees hail from the state of Texas and five were ranked by Inside Prep Baseball among the Top 25 players in Texas. The class features eight high school players and one junior college transfer."We are obviously excited about this class," remarked Schlossnagle. "Todd Whitting and Randy Mazey, along with the rest of our staff and support staff, did a tremendous job of identifying, evaluating and recruiting a tremendous group of young men. What's amazing is that all of these kids are good students and come from very solid families...they will represent TCU in the highest manner on and off the field."
Among the nine signees are local products Walker Kelly (LHP, Fort Worth), Matt Thompson (RHP, Burleson), Davey Wright (C/Util, Fort Worth), Kaleb Merck (RHP/Util, Keller) and transferring in the fall is Matt Curry from Howard College (INF, Red Oak, Texas). Kyle Winkler (RHP, Sugar Land), Taylor Featherston (INF, Katy) and Travis Jenkins (LHP, Alvin) hail from the Houston area. The lone out-of-state signee is Brance Rivera (INF) of Muscatine, Iowa.
"This class reminds me a lot of our very first class that was ranked No. 3 nationally," said Schlossnagle. "I can honestly say that we expect each of these signees to make a significant impact in their freshman year.
"To sign five of the top 25 players in the state of Texas, considering the high number of great programs that are in the state and that recruit our state heavily, is a great testament to what TCU has to offer both academically and athletically."
A left-handed pitcher from Fort Worth, Kelly is best known for appearing in the Little League World Series when he was 12. The fourth-ranked player in the state by Inside Prep Baseball, he has put together an impressive high school campaign and is undefeated on the mound, posting a perfect 29-0 record. In 163 innings pitched, he has fanned 268 batters.
He has been an all-district performer each of the last two seasons, as well as being recognized as an all-state player. The last two years, Kelly has been named the district Pitcher of the Year. He has also been selected to participate in the Team USA Junior National trials as well as to play in the Perfect Game national showcase this past summer.
Another local product, Thompson hails from Burleson and attends Grace Prep. He has earned four varsity letters, been an all-district performer each of the last two seasons and is ranked by Inside Prep Baseball as the 13th top player in Texas.
As a junior, Thompson was selected to the all-state squad. The right-handed pitcher was named the 2005-06 Newcomer of the Year and has a combined 16-6 win-loss record in the last two seasons to go along with 176 strikeouts. He appeared in the Texas Scouts Association games at Minute Maid Park and was chosen to play in the Area Code games for the Texas Rangers scout team.
A catcher/utility player from Aledo and Fort Worth Country Day, Wright has excelled on both the baseball and football fields. The 23rd ranked player in Texas is a four-time letterwinner in baseball and has been an all-district performer each of the last three seasons.
He has earned all-conference honors since he was a sophomore. As a junior, he posted a 1.23 ERA with 71 strikeouts on the mound and batted .450 with 37 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. Wright appeared in the Perfect Game National Showcase as well as playing in the Texas Scouts Association games at Minute Maid Park.
Ranked as the No. 15 player in Texas, Merck hails from Keller, Texas where he has been a three-year star on the baseball squad. He has earned numerous accolades including first-team all-district honors each of the last two seasons.
Merck was a member of the USA Junior National Team and was the Offensive MVP of the 2006 Mickey Mantle World Series. Over the last two seasons, he is 11-2 with one save. He played in the Area Code Games with the Texas Rangers scout team.
Winkler, a right-handed pitcher from Kempner High School in Sugar Land, was a member of the 2006 USA Youth National Team that won the Pan Am Championship, where he earned the tournament award for lowest ERA. He was also selected to play in the Team USA Junior National Team trials. As a junior, he was named MVP and first-team all-district as well as being selected to the all-Greater Houston Baseball second team after ranking fourth in the Houston area in strikeouts
In the summer of 2007, Winkler, the No. 19th ranked player, tossed a no-hitter at the Perfect Game Wood Bat tournament held in Atlanta, Ga. He has also been selected to play in the Kyle Chapman All-Star games each of the last three seasons. Winkler played in the Area Code games as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks scout team as well as playing in the Texas Scouts Association games at Minute Maid Park.
Featherston is a shortstop from Katy, Texas. He was recently tabbed as the 96th ranked high school player in the country by Baseball America. He was a first-team all-district performer as a junior after leading the team with a .474 batting average. He also participated in the Houston Area Baseball Coaches Association Junior All-Star game as well as the Texas Scouts Association games at Minute Maid.
Jenkins is a left-handed pitcher from Alvin, Texas. He is a four-year letterwinner at Alvin High School where he helped the squad earn their first district championship in 10 years. As a freshman, he tossed a no-hitter in a varsity district game. Jenkins is on pace to graduate in the top 10% of his class.
"Obviously, our success last year (school record 48 wins) and over the last four years has really helped attract quality student-athletes," stated Schlossnagle. "The schedule that we have planned over the next two to three years was also a big part of attracting this group to TCU."
An infielder from Muscatine, Iowa, Rivera was a first-team all-conference and all-district performer at Muscatine High School. He was a member of the all-star Iowa Junior team and participated in the Perfect Game National Showcase.
He has earned a Golden Glove award each of the last two seasons and was tabbed the team captain as a junior. He has stolen 45 bases the last two seasons with 26 doubles. Rivera also had the distinct honor of playing in the Mariner Games at Safeco Field which is an invitation only event.
Curry will transfer to TCU from Howard College in Big Spring, Texas, where he was a first-team all-conference performer. His freshman campaign produced a school-record 28 doubles and a .435 batting average. He slugged 10 home runs and drove in 70 while stealing 15 bases. This past summer, Curry had an outstanding summer in the Texas Collegiate League, leading the entire league with seven home runs.
At Red Oak High School, Curry was a three-year letterwinner and a two-time first-team all-district performer. He was also tabbed as a first-team all-state performer as a senior after hitting .566 with seven home runs.
"After all is said and done, and this entire group shows up on campus next fall, I have no doubt that it is a class that, although not high in quantity, is worthy of a Top 10 national ranking," said Schlossnagle.
