STATESBORO, Ga. ? The Georgia Southern University baseball program received a National Letter of Intent from eight student-athletes. Head coach Rodney Hennon announced the newest additions to the program from the fall 2007 signing period.
The Eagles signed catcher Randy Williams (Valdosta/Lowndes HS/Andrew College) along with pitchers David Bergin (Tampa, FL/Plant), Dexter Bobo (Cumming/North Forsyth/Darton College), C.J. Lusted (Roswell/Centennial), Charles Matthews (Athens/Athens Academy/Spartanburg Methodist), Chris Mederos (Valdosta/Lowndes HS/Gordon College), Matt Murray (Pottstown, PA/Roberts) and Colin Snow (Alpharetta/Alpharetta).
The lone position player of the signee class, Williams hit .283 with five doubles and 12 RBI in 35 games last year at Andrew College, playing for coach Scot Hemmings. Defensively he had only four passed balls all season and threw out 8-of-23 runners trying to steal. He was a member of the GJCAA All-Tournament Team.
Williams was a high school teammate of Mederos at Lowndes HS playing for coach Danny Redshaw. During his senior year Williams hit .385 and posted a .486 average with runners in scoring position. He also recorded nine doubles, four home runs, 25 RBI and 22 runs scored while throwing out 41 percent of runners trying to steal. A First Team All-Region 1-AAAAA pick at Lowndes, he is the son Randy and Kim Williams.
Mederos helped Gordon College and coach Travis McClanahan set a school record last season with 45 wins and the team was ranked 19th in the final NJCAA national poll. He posted a 2-0 record and 2.31 ERA while throwing a complete game last year. Mederos gave up just 34 hits in 39 innings pitched and struck out 40.
A standout pitcher at Lowndes HS, Mederos posted an 11-1 record and 1.55 ERA in 2006. He recorded four complete games, three saves and 68 strikeouts. He was named First Team All-Region 1-AAAAA and Honorable Mention All-State AAAAA. He is the son of Joe and Kathy Mederos.
Bobo made 11 starts in 15 appearances while posting a 3.74 ERA last year at Darton College for coach Chris Case. A left-handed pitcher, he allowed only 27 earned runs in 65 innings and struck out 71 batters. Opponents posted a .278 batting average.
During his prep career at North Forsyth Central he was named Team MVP and earned All-Region honors in 2005. He is the son of Ronnie and Susie Bobo.
Last year Matthews helped Young Harris College to an eighth place showing in the JUCO World Series. He posted a 3-3 record and 3.21 ERA in 25 appearances. Matthews struck out 47 batters to 11 walks issued in 46 innings pitched while helping YHC win a GJCAA title. He transferred this year to Spartanburg Methodist and is currently playing for coach Tim Wallace.
A prep standout at Athens Academy, Matthews posted a career 15-2 record and 0.93 ERA. He struck out 170 batters in 95 innings. He was a 50th round draft pick in 2006 by the St. Louis Cardinals. Matthews twice earned First Team All-Northeast Georgia honors by the Athens Banner-Herald. He is the son of Jimmy and Lynn Matthews.
Snow, team MVP at Alpharetta last spring, earned Atlanta Journal-Constitution Second Team All-Area honors. He is among the AJC's ?Top 10' to watch in 2008. A member of the East Cobb Titans squad (coached by Josh Breshears) that won the BCS Under-16 national championship in 2007, Snow was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Pitcher.
Snow led Alpharetta HS and East Cobb in wins, ERA and strikeouts. He posted a 1.10 ERA, striking out 71 batters to 16 walks issued as opponents batted just .188 against him. He's the son of Jeff and Alison Snow.
Murray comes from the same hometown as former Eagle standout and 2007 MLB Draft pick A.J. Battisto. Last year he posted a 5-1 record and impressive 0.27 ERA in 42 innings. Murray allowed just 24 hits and struck out 52 batters to just eight walks issued. During his junior year he was 1-0 with a 1.52 ERA and hit a team-leading three home runs. Over the past two summers he helped his summer team to the American Legion Region 3 championship and Pennsylvania state runner-up finish.
Murray, who earned Second Team All-Pioneer Athletic Conference honors as a sophomore and First Team accolades his junior year, plays for coach Greg Gilbert at Roberts HS. Murray is also a member of the All Star Baseball Academy, coached by Mike Manning. He is the son of Brian and RaNelle Murray.
Bergin plays at Plant HS for coach Dennis Braun, a former assistant at Georgia Southern under legendary coach Jack Stallings. He recently received an invitation to the Florida Diamond Club weekend. In October while playing in the WWBA Perfect Game championship Bergin pitched 5.2 scoreless innings and struck out 11.
Last summer as a member of former major leaguer Chet Lemon's Juice Showcase team, Bergin was the winning pitcher during the AAU State, Under Armour Southeast Regional Tournament and WWBA Perfect Game National Tournament championship games.
He was a combined 16-2 during his sophomore and junior seasons at Plant HS. Bergin is the son of David Bergin and Mercedes La Luz.
Lusted is no stranger to Georgia Southern as his father Chuck was an All-South Region pitcher during his standout four-year career as an Eagle. C.J. earned All-North Metro and All-North Fulton team honors last season playing for Centennial HS and coach Billy Nicholson.
Lusted was also tabbed to the Georgia Dugout Club All-Tournament Team was a Perfect Game Top Prospect in 2007. Last year he hit a team-leading .391 with five home runs, nine doubles and 29 RBI. He is the son of Chuck and Allison Lusted.
“We are very excited about this group of young men that will be joining the Eagle Baseball family. Our priority was to strengthen the program's pitching depth and we feel like this class will do that. These young men have outstanding abilities on the baseball field but we also feel very strongly about their character, work ethic and competitiveness. They will all be positive contributors to our program and we look forward to these young men carrying on the rich tradition of Georgia Southen Baseball,” stated Hennon. “I want to commend (assistant coaches) Mike Tidick and Jason Beverlin for their tireless work in putting together this signing class. Our staff did a great job of working together and cultivating relationships with these young men and their families. We look forward to being a part of the lives of these young men the next few years."
