Golden Eagle baseball roster complete

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - With the fall semester in session and the athletes back on campus, Tennessee Tech baseball head coach Matt Bragga has announced the completion of the 2007 roster, adding 12 new faces to the Golden Eagle squad.

"We are all very excited about this signing class," Bragga said. "This is our third class since coming to Tech in January of 2004, and we know these young men fit the profile for what Tennessee Tech Baseball is all about. They are great baseball players, but even better young men.  This recruiting class is a great balance of outstanding people, motivated students and incredible baseball players."

The12 players include Wade Bilbrey (Cookeville, Tenn.), Chason Choate (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Jared Doobs (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.), Casanova Donaldson (Nashville, Tenn.), Jacob Edwards (Oxford, Ala.), Thomas Nelson (Weaver, Ala.), Trice Powers (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Sean Reilly (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Joshua Rider (Elwood, Ind.), Kendale Roach (Knoxville, Tenn.)Michael Roeder (Waterloo, Ontario) and Brandon Skelton (Waynesboro, Tenn.).
   
"Our coaching staff approached this recruiting class feeling as if we needed to add some great young arms to the pitching staff, an experienced top of the rotation type pitcher, some offensive power, and overall athleticism," he said. "We wanted a good mix of freshman student-athletes and junior college student-athletes to compliment our 21 returning players.  We believe we have met the criteria mentioned."

"Academically, this recruiting class is incredibly strong as they fit the high academic standards expected at Tennessee Tech University extremely well.  We are proud to have the opportunity to coach such fine young men and we greatly look forward to the future of Tennessee Tech Baseball."

Wade Alexander Bilbrey is a right-handed pitcher who earned four letters in baseball at Cookeville High School under coach Scott Hunt. He played as a pitcher all four years and gained a 5-4 record with six saves. Bilbrey played on the Tennessee Sunbelt Team in 2003 and helped take his 2002 summer baseball team to win the World Series Championship.

"Wade comes to us from Cookeville. He has battled injuries throughout his high school career and after taking a year away from the game, he looks stronger than ever. After watching him throw this summer, we believe he will have a chance to be a major contributor here at Tech as his baseball progresses. We are looking forward to the opportunity of working with Wade."

Chason Clay Choate is a left-handed pitcher who earned three letters at Riverdale High School under coach Buddy Powers, playing both outfield and pitcher. He was named Pitcher of the Year, Freshman Pitcher of the Year and all-district as a sophomore and junior. Choate helped Riverdale win the Region in 2005 and qualify for state three times. He also earned three letters in swimming under coach Davis. .  

"Chason was one of the best high school pitchers in the state of Tennessee last year. He pitched for a Riverdale team that was number one in the state for weeks on end. He is a lefty who is an ultimate competitor and will contribute immediately. We expect a great career for Chason here at TTU.'

Jared Lee Dobbs earned four letters in baseball at Soddy Daisy High School under coach Steve Garland, where he played a key role as both catcher and pitcher. In 2005, Dobbs had an ERA of 3.25 and 21 RBI with four home-runs. He earned all-tournament, district 6AAA all tournament team, region 3AAA first team and TN/GA all-stars feature team honors. He earned one letter in football as a quarterback under coach Tom Weathers and earned one letter in basketball as a center under first Coach Ron Shumate, a member of the TTU Sports Hall of Fame.

"Jared is an upper 80's right-handed pitcher and also has some major power as a hitter. Jared has never really just focused on pitching, as he was a catcher in high school. It's scary to think about how good he will be on the mound when that becomes his main focus. He is a great young man that we can's wait to have in our clubhouse."

Casanova Dejaun Donaldson earned four letters in baseball at Hunters Lane High School, where he played all outfield positions as well as first base. He was awarded with all-district three times and all- region twice. Donaldson also earned three letters in both cross country and basketball under coach Anthony Sewell as a guard and forward. He even earned one letter in football playing corner and receiver. He won numerous awards for all his sports including the Sportsmanship Award, Gatorade Player of the Week and Year, Hitters Award, Defensive Award, Hustle Award, Coaches Award, MVP, and Scholar- Athlete of the Year.

"Casanova is the type of young man who you want in your program. He is like a sponge, in that he is so intent on learning from his coaches and fellow upperclassmen. He has such untapped ability and we are excited to help him bring it out."

Jacob Cole Edwards is a right-handed pitcher from Oxford High School in Oxford, Ala.
He spent two seasons building up his skills at Shelton State Junior College in Alabama under coach Bobby Sprowl before coming to Tech. He pitched 59 innings, had 58 strikeouts, and had an ERA of 2.78.

He earned four letters in Baseball at Oxford under Coach Todd Mixon, playing both third base and pitcher. Edwards was named all-state in baseball in 2004 and 2204 County Tournament MVP. He had an ERA of 3.24, six home runs and 71 RBI, and also earned three letters in football under coach Mike Justice as a quarterback, earning all-county quarterback honors.

"Jake is another hard throwing right-handed pitcher from Oxford, Ala., who will bring a wealth of experience to our pitching staff?after playing the last two seasons at Shelton State Community College. Jake is a big game pitcher and he will make everybody on our staff better. Jake is another great young man that we can't wait to have in our clubhouse."

John Thomas Nelson is an infielder from Bevill State Community College where he started two years under coach Joey May, posting a .331 batting average, 15 stolen bases, and 31 RBI.

Nelson earned four letters in baseball at Weaver High School under coach Mike Bower, where he played both shortstop and pitcher. He was named Player of the Year in 2004 and earned all-state honors for his shortstop position. He led 2004 Weaver High baseball team to its first region championship since 1996, and posted a batting average of .470 with 20 stolen base and 25 RBI.  On top of his athletic career, his academic awards are high, including the Valedictorian of his high school, Honor Society President, and receiving the Scholar-Athlete Award.
 
"Thomas is a talented athlete who works as hard as anybody I have ever coached. His positive attitude for this sport is contagious to anyone that comes in contact with him. He is a wonderful addition to our team and University. He is the type of young man that makes your team better the minute he walks on campus."

Eron (Trice) E. Powers is an infielder from Murfreesboro, Tenn., who earned three letters in baseball at Riverdale High School under Coach Buddy Powers, playing shortstop, third base, and second base. He was named freshman defensive player of the year, and in 2005 named most improved player. He received the dedication award in 2006 as well as first team all-district.

 "We are so happy to have Trice in our baseball program. He is a winner and continues to improve on a daily basis. Having played for his dad at Riverdale High School, he certainly knows how to win. We expect Trice to have a great career here at TTU."

Sean William Reilly played at Central Junior College before heading to South Mountain Junior College. He played in a wooden bat league at Central, batting .336.  At South Mountain, he batted .338 with 21 RBI.  In high school he earned four letters in baseball at Seton Catholic High School under coach Banicwitz, playing both outfield and pitcher.  He was a three-time all-state and all-region recipient, helping his team to become state runner up in 2002 and state champions in 2003.  He got the opportunity to pitch in the state championship game twice and was the winning pitcher inn 2003.  He holds the state record for hits in the 3A, 2A, and 1A classes.

"Sean is a wonderful addition to our ball club and our University.  He is a talented, fast outfielder who can really hit a baseball.  Sean brings junior college experience and energy to our team.  A class individual, he will not only make a huge contribution on the field, but he makes us better in the clubhouse and off the field as well."

Joshua Michael Rider earned four letters in baseball at Elwood High School under coach Adrian Hein.  He played as a pitcher, outfielder, and first baseman.  He was a three-time all-conference team recipient with a batting average over .325 with 11 home-runs.  He had 130 strikeouts with a 13-5 record.  He also earned one letter in football and played three years of basketball.  He also succeeded off the field by being in the National Honor Society.

"Josh is another upper 80's high school pitcher who has a late, sharp-breaking curve ball to compliment the fastball.  Josh is a bulldog on the mound and settles for nothing less than perfection.  We cannot wait to coach Josh and we look forward to working with him over the years."

Kendale Clark Roach is an infielder who earned four letters in baseball at Bearden High School under coach Matt Buckner in Knoxville, Tenn.. He played second base, third base and pitcher and was named 2004 all sophomore team, 2005 MVP at Bearden, 2005 Offensive Player of the Year, 2005 all-district 4AAA, 2005 all-region, and 2005 All-KIL.

"Kendale can hit a baseball. He is a hard-nosed Pete Rose type of player who will let nothing stop him from getting the most out of his game. He is a true competitor who will make our team better immediately. Kendale is another great young man that can't wait to put on the cleats and play ball for Tennessee Tech University."  

Michael Christopher Roeder posted a batting average of .361 at Kaskaskia College, having stolen 30 out of 33 bases and driving in 60 runs to be a big contribute to the team before deciding to come to Tech.  Coming a long way from Canada, he played baseball at Waterloo C.I.  He also played volleyball, and basketball He also played basketball, and was named the Athlete of the Year in 2004.  

"Mike is a five-tool player.  He can run, throw, field, hit for average and hit for power.  He has the ability to hit at the top of the order or in the middle order, and he brings valuable junior college experience to our ball team.  Mike is an exciting addition to the Tech baseball family."

Brandon Wesley Skelton batted .310 with 10 doubles and 30 RBI at Independence Community College (Kansas). His sophomore year he had a batting average of .315 and started in all 53 games.  He had 17 doubles and four homeruns with 47 RBI.  In high school he earned three letters at Bellevue West High School under coach Don Story and coach Calvin Tanton.  He played as a catcher as well as a second base.  He was named all-metro junior and senior years and also received all-state honorable mention his senior year.  He was invited to play in the first-ever University of Nebraska Junior Day his junior year.

"Brandon will bring some great experience form the JUCO level.  He has a smooth left-handed swing and blocks the baseball extremely well behind the plate.  He is capable of playing multiple positions and we are anxious to see him play on a daily basis."