December 8, 2014

Tech baseball program announces signing of class of 2015

On the heels of back-to-back 40-win seasons, the Tennessee Tech baseball team will look to keep that winning tradition rolling with the addition of eight newcomers as head coach Matt Bragga announced the signing of the class of 2015.

By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information Coordinator

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – On the heels of back-to-back 40-win seasons, the Tennessee Tech baseball team will look to keep that winning tradition rolling with the addition of eight newcomers as head coach Matt Bragga announced the signing of the class of 2015.

"This, again, is one incredible recruiting class," Bragga said, "and none of that could be done without the countless hours on the road and in the office spent by our staff. Coach Justin Holmes and Coach Derek Weldon have been great since joining our program and I can't thank their efforts enough for finding not just good ball players, but quality young men that will reflect well both on our program and our university."

With seven players from the 2014 squad moving on to the professional ranks, including two underclassmen, there was a need for a class with both size and quality players. And the 2016 class offers both with eight players with excellent pedigrees. The class includes seven high school signees and one junior college transfer.

"We brought in several junior college players in last year's class," Bragga added, "which offered us to bring in a few more high school players, guys that can ease their way onto the diamond and really hone their skills rather than have that pressure of needing to perform at a championship level right out of the gate. With that being said, each and every one of these guys is capable of coming in right away and making an impact and I'm excited to see their development over their careers."

Seven of the eight members of the 2015 signing class will enter their Golden Eagle careers with a background in pitching, including two left handers. Three of those players also show promise elsewhere on the diamond, leading to an array of possibilities for this class to make an instant impact for the Tech squad.

"We've been fortunate to have a long line of success with our pitching staff and we believe this class will help keep that success going," Bragga said. "There's an old baseball adage that 'you can never have enough pitching' and I believe that. We feel that this class will help continue to elevate our program to new heights and continue in the championship tradition that has been set for our program."

Here's a look at the early signees of the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagle baseball team Class of 2015:

ETHAN ROBERTS - RHP │ 5-10 │ 175 │ SPARTA, TENN. │ WHITE COUNTY HS
Roberts has enjoyed much success in three years at White County High School, earning two Cy Young awards and three All-District honors. As a junior, he compiled a 6-2 record on the mound, totaling 68 strikeouts in 65 innings of work and finishing the season with an impressive 1.50 ERA. An honors student at WCHS, he also wrapped up the year batting .315 with two home runs.

Bragga's take:
Ethan is an bulldog on the mound; one of those guys that transforms from being a great young man off the field to an absolute warrior on the field. He has a high-level fastball and a breaking ball that is just outstanding. He is a high character young man with an infectious smile. We are excited to get Ethan on campus.

NICK OSBORNE - RHP/3B │ 6-2 │ 185 │ SEVIERVILLE, TENN. │ SEVIER COUNTY HS
Osborne just hits the ball, racking up a .385 career batting average in three seasons at Sevier County High School playing for head coach Casey Taylor. He has received numerous honors the past two seasons, including 2014 All-State honors, 2014 IMAC Player of the Year, 2013 and 2014 All-District honors and 2013 and 2014 TBCA Team honors. He led his team to the 2014 IMAC Championship, a runner-up finish in 2013 and the 2013 and 2014 Regional runner-up finishes.

Bragga's take:
Nick has been blessed with the ability to throw a baseball, and throw it well. His "stuff" is flat out fantastic. He's got a great fastball that is complimented with an incredibly hard slider. He also has the ability to play the field. Nick is a great young man and we are so proud to have him in our program.

LEVI WRIGHT - LHP │ 6-1 │ 180 │ FAIRVIEW, PA. │ MCDOWELL HS
Wright made the transition from basketball as a freshman to baseball over the past two years at McDowell High School, becoming an all-star caliber player in the process. As a junior, he hit .406 with 18 RBI and two home runs while also attaining a 4-2 record, 2.20 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 31 innings pitched. The year led him to First-Team All-Region 8 All-Star honors as a pitcher as well as an outfielder. He earned Second-Team honors as a sophomore. In both seasons, he led MHS to District 10 AAAA titles.

Bragga's take:
We were in need of top-level, left-handed pitching, and Levi was the guy we had at the top of our list and targeted from the first day we saw him. In terms of talent, he may be the most talented left-handed pitcher we have ever brought in from the high school ranks. He is part of a long chain of young men we have recruited from Erie McDowell High School in Pennsylvania. We are thrilled to have Levi here at TTU.

KEVIN STROHSCHEIN - RHP/OF │ 6-1 │ 197 │ MCDONOUGH, GA. │ GEORGE WALTON ACADEMY
Strohschein played two seasons at Union Grove High School before enjoying a fantastic junior campaign at George Walton Academy under head coach Todd Shelnutt. He earned First-Team Georgia High School All-Region honors as a junior, 2014 Perfect Game Underclass All-American Second Team honors and several other Perfect Game All-Tournament Team honors and Top Prospect List appearances. As a junior, he batted .380 with seven home runs, eight doubles and 28 RBI in 24 games played, slugging .762 and tallying a .452 on base percentage.

Bragga's take:
Kevin is a flat-out athlete with amazing tools. He can hit hit for average, with some power, and has the ability to sling it from the mound as well, with some high level velocity. He is a highly rated player and we are so glad to have him in our program.

TY KING - RHP │ 6-6 │ 190 │ CLEVELAND, TENN. │ BRADLEY CENTRAL HS
King showed plenty of skill on the mound as a junior playing for Bradley Central High School and head coach Travis Adams, earning Best of Preps Second Team honors and a Player of the Week award from Check Into Cash. He compiled a 7-1 record on the hill, tossing 66 innings with 86 strikeouts and finishing with an incredible 0.63 ERA. He led his squad to the 2014 District 5-AAA Championship title.

Bragga's take:
Ty comes to us highly recommended from one of our former coaches, Brandon Turner. Once we saw him, it was a no-brainer. Ty has a ceiling that is unlimited and already understands how to pitch and how to win. He is tall, with an extremely loose arm, and he competes incredibly well on the mound. We look forward to coaching Ty and having him here at TTU.

MARCUS EVEY - RHP │ 5-9 │ 155 │ MURFREESBORO, TENN. │ BLACKMAN HS
Evey has played third base and pitched for coach Justin Entrekin at Blackman High School. As a junior, he finished the season with a dominating 0.82 ERA on the mound, compiling a 3-0 record. He also finished with a very impressive 0.94 WHIP, dominating hitters all year long.

Bragga's take:
Marcus can pitch, plain and simple, and knows how to attack hitters. He has great "stuff" to compliment his winning mentality. We had already seen Marcus and offered him, but he decided to come to one of our camps anyway and he just blew us away again. He is a first class individual and our TTU baseball family is excited to have him as a part of our team.

CHRIS BROWN - C │ 6-1 │ 250 │ JACKSON, TENN. │ DYERSBURG STATE CC
Brown lettered in two sports at Hartselle High School, playing four years as a catcher and third baseman and four years as a defensive end and offensive tackle. He earned All-Area and All-State honors in both football and baseball all four seasons, leading his football team to a state title his junior season and his baseball team to state titles his freshman and senior seasons. For his career he managed a .402 average with 34 home runs and 46 doubles.

Bragga's take:
Chris is a big, strong catcher that can really defend and also has the ability to drive the ball to the gap with some big time pop. He has a wonderful personality and the knack of how to lead a team with positive emotion. Chris is an absolute winner and we are glad he will be at Tennessee Tech.

BRANDON DAVIS - LHP/OF │ 5-10 │ 168 │ JONESBOROUGH, TENN. │ DANIEL BOONE HS
Davis has three years of experience as an outfielder and pitcher for head coach Rob Hoover at Daniel Boone High School, earning All-Conference honors during his career. As a junior he batted .322, but really made an impact on the mound. In 58 innings of work, he compiled a 5-3 record while striking out 64 batters.

Bragga's take:
Brandon has a great idea of how to pitch and get outs on the mound as a top-level left-handed pitcher. He also brings the dimension of running balls down in the outfield and spraying the ball all over the field as a hitter. Brandon is a fantastic addition to our TTU Baseball team and we are so excited to get him on campus next fall.

Ethan Roberts