Lenoir-Rhyne Baseball
Class of 2007
 

Daniel Smith (UTIL, Jr., Kannapolis, N.C./Surry Community College)

“Daniel is a tremendous combination of athleticism and power.  He is capable of playing all four corner positions.  His main weapon is his left-handed stick.  After being one of the leading hitters in the Region X last year, the coaching staff plans on him hitting in the middle of the line up the next two seasons.”

  Mark Drucker (OF, Jr., Boca Raton, Fla./Indian River Community College)

“Mark will be an immediate upgrade for the Bears in the outfield.  His speed and arm strength make him a possible draft pick the next two seasons.  He has the ability to play all three positions.  Mark has some serious pop in the bat as well.  He can bat in the lead off spot or down in the order, depending on how high his on base percentage can be.”

  Nick Siano (C/1B, Jr., Midland, N.C./Indian River Community College)

“Nick brings excellent defensive and offensive skills to L-R.  He will be the team’s best defensive first baseman, as well as, behind the plate.  How much he catches will depend upon the performance of some other catchers the coaches will use there.  Offensively he is a solid line drive hitter who is strong enough to get some of those line drives over the fence.  This past summer he made the all-star team for the Davidson Copperheads of the SCBL.”

  Randy Hamrick       Vero Beach , FL            Polk CC     RHP                      Jr

  Randy is the second Polk player to come to LR, following JD Harrison from last year.  Randy has a tremendous arm and stuff on the mound.  His fastball is in the upper 80’s.   He has the possibility to be one of the top pitchers in the SAC.  He needs to improve his secondary pitches and develop more confidence in his natural ability.  The staff plans on using him in all roles and find the place where he will be most comfortable and effective.

  Matt Smith           Bradenton, FL     Wilkes CC                   2b/OF                              Jr

  Matt comes to LR after two years at nearby Wilkes CC.  The coaching staff was impressed with his raw talent last year.  He has the ability to play both the infield and the outfield.  He is a tremendous worker who will push for time at second mostly.

  Rob Mullin       Farmington NM     Garden City CC              3b/C                        R-Jr

  Rob is another defensive and offensive upgrade for the LR team.  He will play mainly at third base but may seem time behind the dish.  He is the blue-collar leader of this year’s team.  Mullin can drive the baseball, and will be expected to hit in the middle of the order and drive in runs.  He is also an excellent defensive catcher who may see time there.

  Josh Belk      Lincolnton, NC       N. Lincoln HS                     3b/RHP                       Fr.

  Josh comes to LR as one of the best two-way players in his conference last year.  He will have a chance to hit and pitch for the Bears.  He has the ability to throw two quality pitches for strikes.  As a freshman the coaches are hoping he can be one of the pitchers who help round out a solid and deep pitching staff.

  Johnathon Robbins       Indian Trails, NC             Providence Day      UT               Fr.

  Johnathon immediately becomes one of the best athletes in the entire baseball program.  Coach Pait was impressed by Robbins the first time he saw him play in high school.  He is listed as a utility player because he has a great chance of being an infielder or outfielder.  He will fight for time at second base and provide depth to a very solid outfield.  The coaching staff believes he will quickly be the best base runner in the program.

  Chris Henderson          Lincolnton, NC       W. Lincoln HS       C/RHP                  Fr.

  Chris capped off a storybook senior year as one of the best pitchers and hitters in the state last year.  Chris has a big time slider and a mid 80’s fastball.  Even though he is a little raw, his best position may be at catcher.  He is consistently under a 2.0 throwing time.  He also has a lot of pop in his bat.  If he shows he can handle college pitching, he may see quite a few innings behind the plate this season.  As a pitcher, he will most likely be used out of the bullpen.      

  Kurt Benton        Stanfield. NC        W. Stanley HS                    RHP/OF                Fr.

  Kurt is another two-way player whose future isn’t quite certain.  As a freshman he may see more time on the mound, but over the course of his career he will most certainly have a future in the outfield.  He has three quality pitches and throws a lot of strikes.  He will be used in many roles on the mound.  As an outfielder this fall will determine a lot for the coaching staff.

  Justin Crowell          New London, NC     N.Stanley HS          RHP                      Fr.

  Justin is another solid pitching recruit for the Bears.  He has a great fastball in the mid 80’s but his work ethic and body make him a possibility to gain velocity.  He has an above average breaking ball and the makings for a good change.  Justin’s role on this year’s team is still uncertain.  He will have a chance in every role, depending on how well he can throw strikes and get hitters out.  The coaching staff feels over the next few years he will most certainly be a huge part of the staff.

  Brody McCuiston         Stokesdale, NC   McMicheal  HS           OF                     Fr.

  Brody is a good-looking athlete whose number one strength is his arm from the outfield.  He is a hard working person who will most likely be seasoned on the JV team this season because of all the quality players older than him, but most certainly could have a future on varsity.

  Clay Knuth         Lakes Wales, FL     Lakes Wales HS             2B                     Fr.

  Clay is a second baseman whose bat may be a little ahead of his glove right now.  As typical of many second baseman, the terms “solid” and “steady” are used to describe his game.  He will most likely spend this season on JV, learning how to hit college pitching and strengthening his body.

  Joey Young               New Bern, NC        New Bern HS           RHP                    Fr.

  Joey is another excellent pitching prospect for the Bears.  His career will start off a little slow because of a minor surgery he is rehabbing, but the coaching staff feels he will have a great career over the next four years.  He is a student of the game who will pitch at an advanced level early in his career.

  Dustin Lackey     Hiddenite, NC    Alexander Central HS    RHP                 Fr.

  Dustin is a raw talent on the mound who has an aggressive and hard fastball to go along with his mound presence.  He will red shirt this season, but the coaching staff feel he could be a perfect closer during his career at LR.

  Ryan Stultz            Asheboro, NC       Asheboro HS                      3b                     Fr

  Ryan is a very good all around player who can hit for average and power.  He is also a solid fielder with above average arm strength.  He will likely play this season on JV in order to get at bats and improved his game.

  Hank Wofford           Clover, SC                  Clover HS              2b                        Fr.

  Hank is a hard working, all out energy guy.  The coaches fell in love with him last fall when his travel team played the freshman.  He is a perfect team player who will continue to get better over his career.  He will most likely play JV this season in order to get enough playing time to improve.

  Richard Wharton         Clarksville, MD             River Hill HS          OF               Fr.

  Richard is a fast athletic outfielder who needs to develop his bat and over all strength.  He will most likely play JV this season.

  John Danza           Charlotte, NC     Independence HS                 RHP                Fr.

  John is a very good pitcher who relies on his control and ability to throw three pitches. He will most likely pitch on JV this season as a starter, in order to throw more innings.  John has a chance to be a very good pitcher during his LR career.

  Evan Taylor         Charlotte, NC           Independence HS          OF                     Fr.

  Evan is an excellent athlete who is already a complete player.  The coaching staff hopes he can make the transition right away to the college game.  He is one of the top players in this year’s recruiting class.  He has a chance to be a four-year starter. 

  Durant Barr             Stony Point, NC      Alexander Central HS         UT             Fr.

  Durant is an excellent athlete who the coaching staff is excited to see where he will eventually end up.  He has the ability to play first base but the speed to be an excellent outfielder.  He is a left-handed hitter who will battle for time as a freshman.  The staff feels he could be an integral part of the team over the next four years. 

  Derek Barringer     Harrisburg, NC      Central Cabarrus HS             IF/OF      Fr.

 Derek is a good athlete who will most likely play JV this season.  He is a hard working player who the coaching staff will give opportunities to play both infield and out field.

  Dustin Busha         Lenoir, NC         W. Caldwell HS                             Of/If           Fr.

  Dustin, much like Barringer, has the ability to play both the infield and the outfield.  He will most likely spend the next season playing JV and showing the Coaches where he is most effective.

  Jake Byrd            Oakboro, NC       W. Stanley HS                          OF             Fr.

  Jake is the second player from W. Stanley to come to LR this season. He is a good running outfielder who will most likely play JV this season.

  Anthony Defilippo         Pittsburgh, PA     Mt. Lebanon HS       SS                Fr.

 Anthony is another one of the top recruits for the Bears in this year’s class.  He is an excellent athlete with above average arm strength from the shortstop position.  This year he will fight for time at all three infield positions.  As his hitting improves, so will his playing time.  The coaching envision him as a player who will bulk up and possibly even be a super athletic third baseman before he graduates. 

  Shawn Gray          Salisbury, MD     Wiromico HS           C                Fr.

  Shawn is a catcher who will provide depth this year on the JV squad.  He is a hard working player who may see time on Varsity during his career.

  Adam Hart        Jacksonville, NC     White Oak HS                LHP                    Fr.

  Adam is one of a trio of left-handers who the coaching staff believes have a huge future here at LR.  Adam is a smooth lefty with three quality pitches he can throw in the strike zone.  His velocity sits in the low 80’s but Coach Hendricks believes that with a few adjustments he will gain velocity and be a strong prospect at the professional level.

  Matthew Hawkins        Whittier, NC     Smoky Mountain HS        LHP           Fr.

  Matthew, the second of the lefty trio, is the most physical and hardest throwing of the three.  He is very raw in his delivery and knowledge of the art of pitching, but has proven to be a very fast learner.  He has a mid 80’s Fastball and is quickly picking up a hard biting slider.

  Andrew Hunt           Winston-Salem, NC       North Davidson       LHP              Fr.

  The last lefty in the bunch.  Coach Hendricks is a huge fan and believes Andrew is exactly the same caliber pitcher he was at 19.  Andrew is the most soft of the three but has possibly the best off speed stuff.  He will see time as both a started and a reliever.

  Jerrod Moore      Hurdle Mills, NC    Person Co. HS             RHP              Fr.

 Jerrod is another two-way player in this class.  But he is a legitimate pitching prospect and will most likely see most of his time on the mound as a freshman.  He is an excellent infielder and hitter and may be used that way later in his career.  On the mound, he has three solid pitches and is a proven winner from high school.