Lander Baseball Signs Six During Early Period

GREENWOOD----Lander head baseball coach Chris Moore has announced the signing of six players in the early signing period for the 2009 season, with five coming from South Carolina and one from North Carolina.

The players are RHP/1b Jordan Owens (Inman, S.C.), SS Brooks Reames (Aiken, S.C.), RHP Chris Thomas (Chester, S.C.), RHP/SS Billy Veal (Spencer, N.C.), OF/3b Bo Mooneyham (Easley, S.C.), and SS Jeff Caskey (Conway, S.C.).

“We are very excited about our fall class, as we have increased our team depth and athleticism,” Moore said. “We have signed not only good athletes, but tremendous young men with strong academic standing. We look forward to having these guys for the next four years. We are trying to bring in players that will help our program get to the postseason. This class in addition to our current players will help in our pursuit of this goal.”

Owens is a right-handed pitcher and first baseman who made the 2006 Upstate Diamond Classic All-Tournament Team. He plays for Coach Chris Carter at James F. Byrnes High School and for Coach Todd Roper in the fall of 2007 for the Carolina Xpress.

“Jordan is a tremendous young player with a chance to be a two-way impact player,” Moore said of Owens. “He will compete for innings as a freshman, and also compete for at-bats with his exceptional power potential.”

Reames is a shortstop who plays for Coach Bob Polewski at South Aiken High School where he was the team’s 2007 defensive MVP. He hit .320 with 11 RBIs and 15 runs scored as a junior. Reames hit .445 for the UCB Spirit under Coach Tom Myers during the summer of 2007. He also played for George Blackburn on the CSRA Warhawks in the fall of 2007.

“Brooks is an athlete,” Moore said of Reames. “He will bring an intense approach, strong bat, strong arm, and good hands to our program.”

Thomas is a right-handed pitcher who plays for Chester High School and the Carolina Mudcats. He pitched 23 innings in the fall for the Mudcats, allowing only 13 hits while striking out 32 and walking 10.

“Chris is a lanky right hander that has very good arm action,” Moore said of Thomas. “He has good mound presence and his ceiling is very high with his frame and arm speed.”

Veal is a right-handed pitcher and shortstop who plays for Coach Bobby Byerly at North Rowan High School. His honors include the 2007 All County and All Conference teams as well as the Salisbury Post “Hustle” Award. He also made the 2006 All Tournament Team at the USSSA Majors Nationals in Orlando, Fla., where his team finished third. Veal had 70 strikeouts while giving up just four earned runs in 53 innings during junior campaign while also hitting .388 with nine doubles in 25 games. Veal played for the Charlotte Heat in the Fall of 2007 under Coach Jason Harris.

“Billy is a very hard worker that pounds the strike zone,” Moore said of Veal. “He throws three pitches for strikes and will battle early for innings.”

Mooneyham is a left-handed hitting outfielder and third baseman who plays for Coach Randy Thompson at Wren High School. He was named winner of the Golden Cleat Award and is a member of the National Honor Society.

“Bo is a physically strong young player with tremendous bat speed,” Moore said of Mooneyham. “He will look to contribute early as a corner guy for our program.”

Caskey is a shortstop who plays for Coach Anthony Carroll at Conway High School. He hit .430 with three home runs, 13 doubles, five triples, 29 RBI, and 10 stolen bases while earning Team MVP during 2007 season. He was a member of the 2007 Diamond Prospects All-Academic Team, was named Toast of the Coast for 2007, and was also All-Region. Other honors include being a Junior Marshall and member of the National Honor Society.

“Jeff is a tremendously focused athletic infielder,” Moore said of Caskey. “He is very versatile and we think he can play a number of positions. He has a strong arm, good hands, and a great approach at the plate.”