Eagle Baseball Signs Nine Recruits for 2011 Season
11/19/2009 4:05:00 PM | Baseball
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern University head coach Rodney Hennon announced Thursday (Nov. 19) nine players have signed to play baseball for the Eagles. Hennon's newest recruiting class was announced following the fall signing period.
The Eagles (42-17 overall), coming off a 2009 Southern Conference Tournament championship and number two seed in the NCAA Regionals, received commitments from four pitchers and five position players.
"I think we signed another outstanding class to join the Eagle Baseball program. I am confident we addressed our needs on the mound, in the infield and behind the plate. This class will help make key contributions to the program both on and off the field," said Hennon. "I have to give credit to (assistant coach) Mike Tidick for his continued hard work and hours on the road. I have also been impressed with how well pitching coach B.J. Green did in his first year of recruiting for us. They have worked tirelessly going around the region during the summer and fall. I think their hard work will pay off for us in the long run."
2009 Georgia Southern Baseball Recruiting Class
Josh Adams
Adams went 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA in 32.1 innings last year at Spartanburg Methodist. Adams struck out 30 to 11 walks issued. He was selected in the 49th round out of high school during the 2008 MLB draft by the Atlanta Braves. Attended Midland Valley HS.
Three-year letterwinner in football and lettered the past two seasons in baseball. Brown was named Dalton Daily Citizen 'Player of the Week' in each of the last two years. He earned All-Area, and All-Region 7-AAAA honors at quarterback last year. Brown batted .480 helping Junior Team Georgia win a National Championship. He was listed on the Georgia 'Top 100', earned All-Region honors and named All-Area by the Daily Citizen and Chattanooga Times Free Press. A nephew of Eagles' head coach Rodney Hennon, Brown carried the highest GPA on the team.
Taylor Burke
A four-year letterwinner in football, basketball and baseball. Burke received All-Region and All-State honors in football and baseball while picking up All-Region accolades in basketball. The baseball team's 'Most Valuable Player', he also received the Wendy's High School Heisman School Award. Helped Bulloch Academy win the 2009 Regional football title. Burke enters his senior baseball season on the Georgia Dugout Club 'Preseason Player to Watch' list.
Tyler Christman
Played last year for coach Tom Fleenor at USC Sumter. Following a stellar freshman year in which he finished 12-1 with a 1.73 ERA, Christman was named Third Team All-American and Region X 'Pitcher of the Year'. He struck out 104 batters in 78 innings. He was a 44th round draft pick by the Houston Astros and last summer was named Coastal Plain League All-Star.
Lucas Hart
A letterwinner in baseball, Hart is the only current senior in his high school to earn a letter all four years. He was named Honorable Mention All-Cobb County. He threw a complete game win last year in the deciding game against top-ranked Lassiter to advance to the Final Four. Named Marietta Daily Journal 'Athlete of the Week', he pitched a no-hitter in the U-18 Perfect Game Quarterfinals. In the summer 2009 he posted a 0.95 ERA.
D.J. Henderson
Henderson played last year at perennial Illinois JUCO power Olney Central for coach Dennis Conley, batting .298 and was named to the conference All-Academic team. In high school at Detroit Southeastern he was named 2007 First Team All-State and was selected to the Michigan East All-Star team by the Michigan HS Baseball Coaches Association. Henderson posted a 4.0 GPA his senior year. Following high school he was drafted in the 30th round by the Philadelphia Phillies, becoming the first Detroit Public School League player to be drafted in more than 20 years. He is the son of Dwayne Henderson, Sr., who played collegiate baseball at Wiley College in Texas.
Taylor Jones
Jones has earned All-Middle Georgia honors for three straight years and All-State accolades the last two seasons. He finished his junior year batting .472 with 30 runs and 20 RBI. Jones hit nine doubles with seven home runs, walked 20 times to 16 strikeouts and stole 26 bases on the year - one shy of the program season record. He helped First Presbyterian to a 21-8 record last year and was Region 2-AAA runner-up. Jones hit .391 as a sophomore and stole 15 bases. He earned four letters in football, and during his junior year received the Macon Touchdown Club Back Award in addition to Honorable Mention All-Middle Georgia accolades. A volunteer with the Miracle League Baseball Program, he is the brother of former Georgia Southern standout Sy Jones.
Ben Morgan
Morgan is a three-year letterwinner in baseball heading into his senior year and twice lettered in football. During his junior year he stole 33 bases and hit .342, earning All-County honors. Morgan was a member of the 2007 state championship team. He plays baseball for coach Rodney Holder. In summer 2009 he played for the East Cobb Astros where he hit .410 with 29 stolen bases. Morgan competed on one of the East Cobb All-Star teams that competed in the Jupiter World Wood Bat Championship and also played in the championship the previous year with the Ohio Warhawks. He won the Gold Glove Award at the 2009 Catawba World Championship Tournament in Charleston S.C. Morgan is listed as one of the 'Top 25' 2010 prospects in the state by Baseballscoutz.com.
Jesse Piccolo
A four-year letterwinner in baseball he won the 2006 Captain Award. Three times he was named FACA District 5, including First Team honors in 2008. Piccolo also earned Daytona Beach News-Journal All-Area honors three straight years, including two consecutive First Team awards. He is a First Team All-Five Star Conference selection and also earned Second Team All-State accolades. The Team and Offensive MVP in 2008, he represented the North team in the FACA State All-Star Baseball Classic.
Name (POS, HT, WGT, B/T) Hometown (HS/JUCO)
Josh Adams (P, 6-2, 185, R-R) Bath, S.C. (Midland Valley HS/Spartanburg Methodist)
Stryker Brown (INF, 5-11, 175, L-R) Rocky Face, Ga. (Dalton HS)
Taylor Burke (P, 6-0, 180, L-L) Statesboro, Ga. (Bulloch Academy)
Tyler Christman (P, 6-2, 180, R-R) Sumter, S.C. (Sumter HS/USC Sumter)
Lucas Hart (P, 6-3, 165, R-R) Kennesaw, Ga. (North Cobb HS)
D.J. Henderson (INF, 6-2, 175, R-R) Detroit, Mich. (Southeastern HS/Olney Central)
Taylor Jones (OF, 6-1, 185, L-R) Kathleen, Ga. (First Presbyterian Day)
Ben Morgan (INF, 5-9, 165, R-R) Evans, Ga. (Greenbrier HS)
Jesse Piccolo (C, 6-1, 190, L-R) Flagler Beach, Fla. (Palm Coast HS/St. Johns River CC)
