MSU Baseball Announces Spring Signings
7/12/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
July 12, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State head baseball coach Ted Mahan announced Monday that four players have signed letters of intent to join the Spartan baseball program in 2004-05. Joining the squad will be pitchers Chris Malec, Nolan Moody, Mark Sorensen and Mike Takashima.
Chris Malec (LHP, 6-1, 195) is a native of Lindenhurst, Ill., where he attended Antioch High School. At Antioch, Malec was a three-time all-conference and all-area selection and holds 10 Illinois high school career or season pitching records. He was also a top student at Antioch as was a National Honor Society member, was selected to the academic all-conference team and was an honors graduate.
He attended the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Ill., for two years and was a two-time Skyway Conference Player of the Year. As a freshman he ranked fifth nationally in earned run average (1.96) and was named to Collegiate Baseball's Top Junior College Players list for 2004. This past spring he posted a 10-0 record with a 2.00 ERA while striking out 81 batters in 72 innings, and was voted the Illinois Junior College Player of the Year as well as a first-team NJCAA Division II Baseball All-American.
"Chris Malec is a proven winner and we are happy to be able to add an experienced pitcher to our staff," said Mahan. "He is a versatile pitcher and could fill a role in our starting rotation or pitch as a key reliever. We expect him to have an immediate impact on our pitching staff."
Nolan Moody (RHP, 6-1, 175) is from East Lansing, Mich., where he led the Trojans of East Lansing High School to a school-record 28 wins in 2004 including a winning streak of 24 games. Moody posted a 10-1 record last spring which was accompanied by a 2.06 ERA. He struck out 80 batters in 56 innings pitched and helped ELHS to the district championship game. He was named all-conference, all-district and was a member of the all-region dream team.
"We are pleased to add Nolan to our pitching staff," said Mahan. "We believe he has the size and work ethic to develop into an outstanding pitcher at Michigan State. We are always happy to add a talented local product to our roster."
Mark Sorensen (RHP, 6-2, 195) is from Northville, Mich., where he was a top student and baseball player at Northville High School. Sorenson posted a 7-1 record in 2004 including a 1.40 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 70 innings pitched. He was a two-time all-conference and all-area selection, was voted Northville High School's Athlete of the Year and was selected as the Hometown Newspaper's Player of-the Year for the 2004 baseball season. Sorensen's father, Lary, pitched for several seasons in the major leagues with Milwaukee, St. Louis, Cleveland, Oakland, the Chicago Cubs, Montreal and San Francisco. His sister graduated from MSU this spring.
"Mark is a fierce competitor and knows how to pitch," Mahan said. "He has been fortunate to be taught by a former major leaguer and has solid mechanics while throwing in the upper 80s. He is also one of our brightest students and we look forward to working with him."
Mike Takashima (RHP, 6-0, 180) is from Rochester Hills, Mich., where he was a standout pitcher at Rochester High School. His fastball has been clocked at 90+ on several occasions and he struck out 88 batters in 42 innings pitched this season. He posted a 6-2 record for the Falcons with a 1.08 ERA and was an all-conference, all-area, and all-region selection.
"Mike is a top prospect with unlimited potential," Mahan said. "He has a live arm and if he works hard and throws strikes he will have a lot of success throughout his career at Michigan State. If he goes out and competes, Mike could see a lot of innings as a freshman."
