Horton grabs first recuit for Oregon

George Horton has received his first commitment for the 2009 season in Darrell Hunter of Thurston High School. Hunter is expected to play shortstop for the Ducks. Hunter turned down two time national champions Oregon State who offered Hunter a 25 percent scholarship but Oregon offered a 35 percent scholarship which forced Hunter to commit immediately. Oregon Live checks in with an article here. Jacob May of The Oregon Daily Emerald talks about the commitment and about George Horton here.

Corbin Lands Another Top Rated ‘09 Recruit

The College Baseball Blog has been closely following the monster class that Coach Tim Corbin and Recruiting Coordinator Erik Bakich have been assembling. The class includes an incredible amount of talent and will continue in the tradition of Bakich reeling in top talent. In six years on West End, Bakich has landed a top 25 rated class in each year, including the #1 rated class of 2006 that included current All-Americans Pedro Alvarez and Ryan Flaherty.

The latest HS Senior to commit to Coach Corbin is Joseph Loftus of Academy of Holy Angels (Savage, MN). As a junior, Loftus hit .531 with 9 homers and 34 RBI in 64 ABs. He earned a trip to the Area Code Games and was rated a 10 of 10 by Perfect Game USA. Mike Rapp identified Loftus as one of Vanderbilt’s three remaining targets in a VandySports.com article last month. Mike noted that Loftus was considering offers from Arizona State and Notre Dame.

Loftus and Jason Esposito are expected to battle it out to replace Pedro Alvarez at third in 2009. Alvarez is expected by many to be a candidate for the first overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft. Alvarez’ former teammate, David Price, took that honor in 2007.

Loftus joins the following players in the Commodores class of 2009:
RHP Jack Armstrong (Jupiter, FL)
RHP Will Clinard (Clarksville, TN)
3B/SS Jason Esposito (Bethany, CT)
LHP Grayson Garvin (Atlanta, GA)
RHP Sonny Gray (Smyrna, TN)
OF Matt Marquis (Annandale, NJ)
OF Adam Milligan (Walters State)
RHP Navery Moore (Nashville, TN)
1B/C Dylan Pratt (Walter State)
RHP/OF Ryan Westmoreland (Portsmouth, NH)
LHP Corey Williams (Huntsville, AL)

Of the 10 high school recruits, Perfect Game gave its perfect 10 rating to all but Moore (did not attend showcase), Westmoreland (did not attend showcase, 9 in 2006) and Williams (9.5).

FSU recruit fine after a brief scare

Kyle Long who committed this summer to play baseball at Florida State beginning in the 2008-2009 school year received a major scare in a high school football game on September 14th. He laid motionless on the field after being hit in the back of his neck. He was taken off on a stretcher but was back working out within 48 hours after it was only a brief scare. Long is the son of Howie Long who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Long is expected to compete for a spot in the starting lineup in 2009 and might pitch for the Seminoles. The biggest challenge for Mike Martin Sr. with Long is going to be keeping him off of the football field as Long is a big recruit in football with his 6′7 280 pound frame. The full article on Kyle Long’s injury is available here.

Houston focusing on 2009 roster

The Daily Cougar, the official student newspaper of the University of Houston, has posted an article from Scott Gonzales on the recruiting efforts of the Houston program. Rayner Noble tells the writer that they already have four commitments for the 2009 season but want to pick up two more by the final signing day in November. The full article is available here.

Lobos Add Another Carlson

New Mexico has signed its third of the four baseball playing brothers of Kansas. The Carlson klan of Topeka has pretty solid genes. Three brothers, including former stud Chris Carlson, signed with New Mexico. One is at Missouri State.

The latest is Zach Carlson and the story is linked here.

Commodores land another All-American

What does it feel like to recruit running backs like Southern Cal? Probably a lot like how Coach Tim Corbin feels when he’s recruiting arms. Corbin has nailed down a seventh big time Pitcher for the ‘09 recruiting class.

This one might be the biggest. Adding in a two top JuCo transfers, an elite third sacker and a stud outfielder, and Coach Erik Bakich is close to finishing up recruiting for the current cycle.

Mike Rapp reports on the newest commitment and on the three blue chippers that the Commodores are believed to still be waiting to hear from. You can read the article here if you’re a Rivals.com subscriber.

The latest commitment comes after three weekends in a row in which the Commodores hosted top recruiting prospects, including the blue chippers above referenced. They follow a recruiting class from which Bakich and Corbin escaped Draft-unscathed. Highlighting the new Commodores are potential true-Freshman impact players Catcher Curtis Casali, Pitcher Chase Reid, and Firstbaseman Aaron Westlake. Expected to have more time to grow are high ceiling Pitcher Kellen St. Luce and Outfielder Joey Manning.

Vandy finds last piece to ‘09 infield

One of the more intriguing questions to arise out of Hawkins Field is how one fills the looming gap when projected top 2008 Draft Pick Pedro Alvarez departs his 3B spot on West End this fall. Alvarez has been a force since spurning the advances of Theo Epstein and the Boston Red Sox to get his baseball education and sheepskin at Vanderbilt. As a freshman, he set a VU record with 22 bombs en route to consensus Freshman of the Year and All-American status. As a sophomore, he put up staggering numbers as the cleanup hitter. Each of the past two summers, he’s carried the banner for Team USA at the plate, leading the squad in batting average and other categories.

So who will step into the enviable task of replacing Petey for Coach Tim Corbin? Chris Lee, Mike Rapp and Jesse Johnson of VandySports.com confirmed rumors of a commitment in the premium section of the Rivals.com affiliated site more than a month ago. Nevertheless, due to the College Baseball Blog’s attribution policy, we have chosen not to report on the development out of respect for VandySports.com’s terms of service. Recently, the commitment has been acknowledged on the sites free baseball board allowing us to report that Bethany, Connecticut star Jason Esposito committed to the Commodores and is pencilled in for the competition at third. Esposito was a Connecticut rival of ‘08 prize recruit Curt Casali and a summer league teammate of fellow blue chip ‘09 recruit Matt Marquis.

Like Alvarez, Esposito is a well-framed, athletic corner man with a massive arm. He stands 6-2, 185 and throws 90 off the hill, according to Perfect Game, which rated Esposito a 10 of 10, indicating high draft round talent. Esposito joins recruits Sonny Gray, Matt Marquis, Will Clinard, Grayson Garvin, Corey Williams, Ryan Westmoreland and Navery Moore and transfer Dylan Pratt in a class that seems poised to surpass the Alvarez-Flaherty led 2005 class rated #1 by Baseball America.

Although positions aren’t guaranteed at Vanderbilt or any other major program, Esposito would project to have the inside track at earning the starting 3B job as a true freshman. The other projected infield starters for 2009 season include (class year in 2009) Sophomore Aaron Westlake at 1B, Redshirt Sophomore Alex Hilliard or Junior Brian Harris at 2B, Redshirt Freshman Gabe Ortiz at Short and Sophomore Curt Casali at Catcher.

Raleigh Lands Tennessee Pitcher

New Tennessee coach Todd Raleigh is starting to fill in his first recruiting class in Knoxville. He reached into middle Tennessee and plucked Adam Adkins, the cousin of former Vol and Mount Juliet, TN ace James Adkins. Adkins was 11-0 with a 1.07 ERA and 107 strikeouts for Goodpasture in 2007. His accolades include two no-hitters, one in the 8-AA championship tournament.

Tom Kreager of the Tennessean reported on the commitment of Adkins, who chose Tennessee over interest from Alabama-Birmingham, Belmont, East Tennessee State, Georgia, Kentucky, Lipscomb, Middle Tennessee State and Ole Miss.

Read the article here.

More on Stallings’ Commitment to UNC

As the College Baseball Blog suspected, elite ‘08 Catcher Jacob Stallings commitment to North Carolina came after sitting down with Vandy coach Tim Corbin, UNC coach Mike Fox and Vandy Basketball Coach Kevin Stallings and coming to the decision that Chapel Hill provided the best opportunity for the defensive standout to become an elite player.

Mo Patton of the Tennessean spoke with Jacob about the decision and the difficulty in playing for someone other than Coach Corbin. With Curt Casali and Andrew Giobbi in the fold, Stallings was unlikely to see playing time until the 2010-11 season. While cracking the elite UNC lineup might not be that much easier, the Tarheels feature the combination of elite program, great coaches and top notch academics that were likely on the mind of this college-bound HS Senior. The biggest barrier to immediate playing time will be rising Sophomore recruit Mark Fleury, who played in 10 games as a true freshman and was a highly regarded recruit. Look for Stallings to challenge for playing time for the Heels in the 2009-10 season.

Stallings might not be an All-American at UNC, but his impeccable defensive skills will certainly blend well with UNC’s elite stable of arms. This writer apologizes for mistakenly stating that Stallings plays for the elite Brentwood A’s summer team. He actually donned the garb for the Nashville Red Dogs.

UNC picks up elite ‘09 Catcher

Coach Mike Fox of North Carolina picked up one of the fastest rising stars on the High School circuit when Nashville Catcher/Pitcher Jacob Stallings verbally committed to the Tarheel baseball program. Stallings is an athletic, if lanky 6′4″ bodied Junior who Perfect Game gave a 9.5 ranking. Mike Rapp of Vandysports.com first reported the news in the premium content War Room, quickly followed by Mo Patton of the Tennessean.

Stallings is the son of Vanderbilt Basketball Coach Kevin Stallings and former basketball teammate of former UNC standout Brandan Wright, a lottery pick this past year in the NBA draft. The younger Stallings has been a fixture at Vanderbilt baseball games, while the senior Stallings is a sometimes-color commentator for Commodores baseball broadcasts and is a close friend of Coach Tim Corbin. This led many to believe Jacob Stallings would don the Black and Gold on West End. Furthermore, as the son of an employee, Stallings would have been entitled to free tuition at Vanderbilt. So why is Stallings headed to UNC? The College Baseball Blog has this insight and opinion as to the surprise commitment:

1) Money doesn’t always talk. Kevin Stallings is one of the highest paid coaches in the SEC, so scholarship funds likely aren’t particularly important.
2) In addition to the Brandan Wright connection, UNC’s Roy Williams is among Kevin Stallings‘ closest friends in the coaching fraternity, establishing solid ties to UNC.
3) The catching and pitching competition at Vanderbilt will be tight for the next three years. At Catcher, Vanderbilt will feature two established players in (‘08-’09 year) Sophomore Curt Casali (rated the #60 prospect for the ‘07 class and rated 10 by Perfect Game) and Red Shirt Sophomore Andrew Giobbi (rated 10 by Perfect Game in ‘05). Casali is expected to win the starting job behind the plate by ‘08-09, if not by supplanting incumbent starter Shea Robin this year. Giobbi has seen action at Catcher, Firstbase and DH for the Dores and figures to continue to do so for the next two years. In addition, Jesse Johnson of Vandysports.com reports that Corbin has a pair of solid Catcher walk-ons. Stallings could have faced stiff competition as a pitcher, with Corbin and recruiting coordinator Erik Bakich having assembled a star studded pitching class for ‘08-09 featuring AFLAC All American Sonny Gray (PG rating 10), Will Clinard (PG 10), Grayson Garvin (PG 10), Corey Williams (PG 9.5), Ryan Westmoreland (PG 9) and Navery Moore, who was not given a number rating by PG despite being listed as the 18th best prospect in the ‘08 class in November 2006. Also returning in ‘08-09 will be standout pitchers including Mikie Minor, Drew Hayes, Chase Reid, Mark Lamm, Richie Goodenow and Caleb Cotham. Stallings had been recruited to Vanderbilt and UNC as a Catcher and by Auburn as a pitcher. The CBB believes, without any real basis, that playing time figured into the equation.
4) UNC has somehow managed to become one of the uber elite baseball programs in the country while flying a bit under the radar. They have appeared in the last two CWS finals and have always been a solid program, despite not getting some of the same athletic-academic regard that Stanford, Rice, Tulane and Vandy have received in conversations about “signability“. The “somehow” is not a reflection of UNC not having earned elite status or been excellent on the field, just that, for some reason, their recruiting, on the field and academic excellence don’t get seem to get enough praise in the media.
5) Finally, it provides Stallings the opportunity to have a college experience away from home. A factor for many students.

This writer thinks a combination of 3 and 4 led to the commitment, and that Mike Fox is getting one of the finest players in the nation. Stallings has starred in the Nashville area and on former Commodore Hunter Bledsoe’s Brentwood A’s summer team. He throws in the low 90s off the hill and has impressive defensive skills despite his lanky nature. It’s a pretty safe bet that Fox will get Stallings to campus and, as he grows into his body, Jacob could develop into one of the finest Catchers in the NCAA. Congratulations to Jacob, Coach Stallings and the family.

With one of his perceived top catching targets now in the Tarheel fold, attention will likely look to fellow Nashville Catcher Casey Dykes. Like Stallings, the Franklin based Dykes was rated 9.5 by Perfect Game. Unlike Stallings, Dykes‘ secondary position is 3B, a need area for the ‘Dores. Vanderbilt will likely lose Rivals All-Americans Pedro Alvarez (3B) and Ryan Flaherty (SS) to the next MLB draft. Dykes could compete for playing time at third, though ‘07 signee Gabe Ortiz is expected to step into one of those slots, and though Chris Lee of Vandysports has confirmed the commitment of another ‘08 elite prospect on the left side of the infield. The information is still not public on the new commitment, so I cannot comment further on the identity of the player pursuant to the College Baseball Blog’s policy on Use and Attribution.