Spartan Baseball Announces Another Stellar Class
12/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Dec. 3, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Head coach David Grewe announced that 10student-athletes have committed to continue their baseball and academic careers at Michigan State University. The signees include Tony Bucciferro (Minooka; Joliet, Ill.), Andrew Carpenter (Oakwood; Dayton, Oh), Curtis Fisher (University Liggett; Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.), Kurtis Frymier (Daytona Beach Community College; Midland, Mich.), Jared Hook (Portage Central; Kalamazoo, Mich.), Cody Huge (Harper Creek HS; Battle Creek, Mich.), Ryan Jones (Haslett; East Lansing, Mich.), Jared McDonald (Pima Community College; Tucson, Ariz.), Clayton VanderLaan (Cypress Ridge; Houston, Texas), and Kurt Wunderlich (Kirkwood; DesPeres, Mo.).
"Once again, I am very proud to announce our newest Spartans that will arrive on campus in 2008," Grewe said. "This has been a very challenging recruiting process considering the amount of players that will depart following the 2008 season. Our staff worked extremely hard to fill our needs for the 2009 season and replace the players that will graduate this upcoming spring. We continue to be fully committed to bringing in student-athletes that are going to work hard, are going to be disciplined toward doing things the right way, and are going to show up each and every day with the desire to achieve greatness. This class is very talented and a great fit for our program because they share the same excitement and passion towards Spartan Baseball that our staff and our players share.
"I have said over and over again that recruiting is the lifeblood of every program and this class is critical in maintaining momentum as we build the future of Spartan Baseball. I am very proud that Baseball America has ranked our most recent signing class as the best in the Big Ten, and I am just as excited that this class will garner very similar accolades. We have set the bar high for our program and we are confident that this group will be able to help our program achieve those goals.
"In order to accurately assess our needs, we must project what our team will look like next year, 2009, and beyond. My recruiting philosophy will always place a strong emphasis on bringing in players that are athletic and can demonstrate versatility on the playing field. We will always recruit athletic position players who play multiple positions and top-flight pitchers who are athletic with projectable, power arms. This class has great balance and consists of five pitchers and five position players, including three two-way guys that all fit our philosophy.
"This recruiting class addressed our immediate needs for next year's team," Grewe said. "At the same time, as with every year, we'll have to hope the major league draft doesn't hurt us in June. The early feeling among baseball scouts and experts is that we have a number of signees that have a good chance of being draft picks - if they indicate they would entertain the idea of signing professionally. Based on my conversations, I believe that all of our signees are committed to coming to Michigan State University, getting their education, and having a great college baseball experience before going into professional baseball. With a focus on our 2009 team, we intentionally left some flexibility in our roster to add a couple of pieces to the puzzle in the spring signing period. In the Midwest, and especially in Michigan, it is common to see a young man come on strong in the spring of his senior year. When that happens, we want to make sure that we have the opportunity to bring that player into the Spartan family."
"This class was made possible through the hard work of my assistant coaches. They put in a tremendous amount of time and effort away from family to ensure that we were on the "right" guys. They are the guts of our entire recruiting plan. Tony Baldwin, our recruiting coordinator, again did an excellent job of organizing the behind-scenes-structure of putting this class together. Tony is a phenomenal recruiter and I believe that is the most important tool needed for running a successful college program. His most recent success on the recruiting trail proves why he is a strong candidate each and every summer for head coaching positions. Danny Lopaze also did an outstanding job throughout the summer and then continuing into the fall period as we pulled the class together. He worked tirelessly on the road each and every weekend. He is very passionate when it comes to recruiting. He has a bright future as a talent evaluator and recruiter in this game. I am also excited about the development of Tom Lipari as a future recruiter as he learned a great deal this fall and was extremely valuable during on-campus visits."
"For us to receive early commitments from these top players from all across the nation, a great amount of credit is due to our players. I believe that our best recruiters are our current players, who give a great deal of their time to educate the prospects (while the prospects are visiting campus) about the special qualities of our university and our baseball program. Seeing how content our current players are at Michigan State made a huge and positive impact on the prospects."
Below is a more detailed list of the class (Alpha Order):
Bucciferro is a right-handed pitcher from Joliet, Ill. He is rated as the No. 21 prospect overall and 7th-best right-hander in the state of Illinois by Prep Baseball Report. He is currently rated in the top 850 prospects in the country and is one of the top 280 right-handed pitchers in the country by PGCrosschecker.com. In his two years of varsity baseball at Minooka High School, he has battled through some injuries to post a record of 21-1 with an ERA of 1.50. At Minooka, he plays for Coach Jeff Petrovic. During the summer, Bucciferro played with Top Tier and Coach Todd Fine. His summer team finished runner-up in the 17-under CABA World Series.
Grewe on Tony Bucciferro: "I am extremely excited about the future for Tony Bucciferro. I believe that he has the potential to be a real power arm in our program that can compete at a very high level. His combination of sinking fastball and hard slider were among the best we saw all summer. He comes from a great family, is a great student, and is a tremendous competitor."
Carpenter is an infielder from Dayton, Ohio. He is rated as the No. 11 prospect overall in Ohio and top 400 nationally by PGCrosschecker.com. He is rated as the top third baseman in the state of Ohio by both The Buckeye Scout and PGCrosschecker.com, as well as the 17th-best third baseman in the country by PGCrosschecker.com. Following an outstanding junior season, Carpenter was rated as one of the Top 250 players in the country by Perfect Game. He participated in the Perfect Game National Showcase, which intends to showcase the top 200 players in the country. His three-year varsity batting average is .470 with 16 home runs. He led all of southwest Ohio in home runs as a junior in 2007 en route to all-state Honors. At Oakwood High School, Carpenter is coached by Eric Oberding. During the summer he played with the Dayton Hustle and coach Mike Goldschmidt.
Grewe on Andrew Carpenter: "Our staff was immediately impressed with Andrew's `presence' on the field and demeanor in the batters box. As a physically strong player with a polished overall game, he has the ability to develop into a fine player. Defensively, he has a rocket for an arm. Andrew also has the potential to be a very good offensive player during his time in a Spartan uniform."
Fisher is an outfielder from Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich. He has received all-state recognition for baseball as a freshman, sophomore, and junior. He was also named to the Dream Team for 2007 by the Detroit Free Press. This fall was named to the All-State team for soccer while also being named League MVP. At University Liggett High School, Fisher plays for coach Dan Cimini. During the summer he played with coach Dave Bergman and the Grosse Pointe Redbirds.
Grewe on Curtis Fisher: "Curtis is the type of player that you love to have in your program. He is a `gamer' in every sense of the word. He plays with passion. He plays extremely hard. He is a tremendous competitor. He can play all three outfield positions and swings left-handed. He possesses all of the things that we talk about as the staples of Spartan Baseball."
Frymier is a right-handed pitcher from Midland, Mich. In high school at Midland, he was a 4-year letterman and received all-Conference and all-area honors in 2005 and 2006. He led his high school team in batting average and ERA as a senior, en route to being named team MVP. Frymier also participated in the Michigan High School All-Star game in 2006. At Daytona Beach Community College, Frymier finished his freshman campaign with a 3.30 ERA. As a sophomore, he is expected to be one of the top starters for the Falcons and coach Tim Touma. In the summer, Kurtis played for the St. Cloud River Bats of the Northwoods League and led them to the League Championship.
Grewe on Kurtis Frymier: "Kurtis is someone that we looked at coming out of high school in Michigan. He has gone on to junior college and really taken care of business. He has improved tremendously on the field and we are excited about his ability to come in and contribute right away. What he lacks in size, he makes up for with a bulldog mentality on the mound."
Hook is an infielder from Kalamazoo, Mich. A two-time all-district and all-region selection, Jared has a two year varsity batting average of .400. In two years on varsity, he has led Portage Central High School to a record of 54 -26. Jared also received all-state honors in hockey in 2007. At Portage Central, he plays for coach Paul Schneider. During the summer he played with the Maroon-Diamonds and coach Bill Peterson.
Grewe on Jared Hook: "We are very excited to have Jared join our program. An accomplished hockey player, Jared has shifted his focus to baseball and we are extremely excited about his future. Our staff saw Jared a number of times over the summer and the thing that always stood out was his ability to swing the bat. We think that he has a chance to be a very good hitter in a Spartan uniform."
Huge is a right-handed pitcher from Battle Creek, Mich. He is rated as one of the top 10 recruits in Michigan and one of the top 2 right-handed pitchers in the state by PGCrosschecker. He has received all-city, all-district, and all-conference honors as a sophomore and junior. Huge is Harper Creek High School's all-time leader in wins. At Harper Creek, he plays for coach Chad Dishaw.
Grewe on Cody Huge: "Cody is someone that we have had our eyes on for a couple of years now. We feel that the future is incredibly bright for Cody. What caught our eyes the most about Cody is that he is a guy that really competes on the mound. He pitches with a passion for competing. He has shown the knack for making big pitches when they are needed and that is so important in order to have success at a high level."
Jones is an infielder from Haslett High School in East Lansing, Mich. He is a two time all-state selection while carrying a three-year varsity batting average of .486 (he has hit over .500 in each of his last two years). He has been named to the Lansing State Journal Dream Team as both a sophomore and junior. He received MVP honors in baseball and basketball as a junior, as well as receiving that honor for his American Legion Team. At Haslett High School, Ryan plays for Jeff Woodworth. During the summer, he played for coach Bob Gast and East Lansing Post 205.
Grewe on Ryan Jones: "Ryan is a tremendous athlete that can do a lot of things. He ended up joining the Haslett football team in mid-year and playing quarterback for them. He is the point guard on the basketball team. He plays shortstop for his high school and summer team. We put him in centerfield in one of our camps and he made a couple of great plays out there! We are excited about his ability to be a gamer. As I mentioned earlier, I want athletes that have versatility on the baseball field and Ryan Jones certainly is that type of player. We look for him to have a great career as a Spartan."
McDonald is an infielder from Tucson, Ariz. While at Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Jared was a three-year varsity starter with a .420 career average. He was a two-time all-conference selection as well as a two-time team captain. Jared participated in the 2006 Arizona High School All-Star game. At Pima Community College, Jared hit .358 as a freshman with a wood bat (Arizona junior colleges use wood bats) while seeing time at DH, 3rd base, and 2nd base. This fall he participated in the Arizona Junior College Sophomore All-Star Game. He is expected to be the starting shortstop this year for Pima and coach Edger Soto. During the summer, Jared played for the Brainerd Blue Thunder in the Northwoods League.
Grewe on Jared McDonald: "Jared is another guy that brings a lot of versatility to the program. He can play nearly every position on the field. He played first base and DH as a freshman at Pima and now is their starting shortstop. That versatility combined with the experience that he has gained in junior college, should allow him to be an immediate contributor.
VanderLaan is a right-handed pitcher from Houston, Texas. He is rated as one of the Top 85 right handed pitchers in the country by PGCrosschecker.com. PGCrosschecker.com also rates Vanderlaan as one of the top 20 right-handed pitchers in the state of Texas, the No. 37 prospect overall in the state of Texas, and as one of the top 250 recruits in the country. He has been a three-year starter on the varsity team in one of the best baseball regions in the country. As a junior, he finished with a 1.29 ERA en route to receiving all-district Honors. At Cypress Ridge High School, VanderLaan plays for Mark Elliot. During the summer, he played with the Houston Miracles and coach David Clyde.
Grewe on Clayton VanderLaan: "We are extremely excited about Clay being a Spartan. He is a tremendous competitor and someone that has a lot of passion for what he is doing. He is a guy that has the stuff and the make-up to pitch at a very high level. He is another guy that has a chance to do some great things in a Spartan uniform and we are looking forward to him getting here."
Wunderlich is a right-handed pitcher from DesPeres, Mo. (a suburb of St. Louis). He is rated as one of the top 25 recruits in the state of Missouri and one of the top five right-handed pitchers in the state by PGCrosschecker.com. He is currently rated as one of the top 800 prospects in the country and is one of the top 275 right-handed pitchers in the country by PGCrosschecker.com. He received the Ryan Howard Award as the League MVP in 2006.
Grewe on Kurt Wunderlich: "Kurt is a right handed pitcher that has a chance to be very good. He throws a heavy fastball that has good velocity and has also shown the potential for an outstanding slider. We feel that as he continues to develop, he has a chance to be someone that can really help us on the mound."
