GREENWOOD – The Lander University baseball team has added
13 new players to its roster, including eight transfers from other
colleges, announced new head baseball coach Kermit Smith.
The newcomers are infielders Alan Abreu (Miami, FL/Eastern
Kentucky) and Aaron Fludd (Tampa, FL/ Brooks Debartolo HS),
pitcher/catcher Brantley Blalock (Kings Mountain, NC/ Kings
Mountain HS), pitcher/first baseman Kevin Childs (Anderson, SC/
Wingate University), pitchers Ross Davis (Bennington, NH/
University of Rhode Island), Brandon Farquhar (Mossley, Ontario/
Indian Hills Community College), Cory Hopper (Easley, SC/ Erskine
College) and Ben Runyon (Edmonton, Alberta/ Johnson County
Community College), catcher Joe Tebaldi (Seaford, NY/ Suffolk West
Community College), catcher/third baseman Pete Hernandez (Nokomis,
FL/ South Florida Community College), catcher/infielder Michael
Vesnesky (Virginia Gardens, FL/ Jupiter HS), and outfielders Ryan
McNulty (Jacksonville, FL/ The Providence School) and Mario
Washington (Donalds, SC/ Dixie HS),
“Coach Smith and I were not completely sure what to expect
with the Lander team in 2010,” said Chris Anderson, whom
Smith recently hired as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
“We had a short period of time to put a recruiting class
together after Kermit had taken the job at Lander (in June).
“Our goal with this recruiting class was to bring in as many
good players as possible. There are 13 newcomers for the upcoming
season, five freshmen and eight transfers,” said Anderson,
who attributes some of the recruiting class to former Lander
coaches Chris Moore and Austin Smithwick.
“We feel like this class adds players at every position which
will make things very competitive in fall practice. We have some
talent and experience coming in this year and we are excited to see
how it plays out heading into the spring season. We’re
looking forward to coaching these young men over their time here at
Lander University.”
Abreu played Division I baseball at Eastern Kentucky University,
hitting .282 as a freshman there with one homer and 12 RBI. He
batted .350 his senior year with four home runs for Archbishop
Carroll High School in Miami. As a junior, he batted .424 with an
.824 slugging percentage and eight home runs. He earned team MVP
and All-Dade County honors in both his junior and senior years.
“Alan is a very talented infielder that can do a lot of
different things on the field,” Anderson said. “We feel
like he has a lot of potential at the plate and we are really
looking forward to seeing how he develops over the next three
years.”
Blalock hit .333 with two homers and 19 RBI as a senior at Kings
Mountain High School. On the mound, he went 5-0 with 44 strikeouts
in 42 innings and a 2.60 ERA. He was all-conference three times,
first-team all-Gaston Gazette in 2009, and was voted MVP of the
Shelby Easter Tournament Championship while helping Kings Mountain
win the Southwestern Conference title in his senior year.
“Blalock has potential both on the mound and behind the
plate,” Anderson said. “He’s got a chance to
really add some depth to the pitching staff and could also
contribute behind the plate. We like several things about Brantley
and we are excited to see his progression over his time at
Lander.”
Childs led Wingate’s pitching staff with a 2.55 ERA, while
also hitting .278 with four homers and 27 RBI last spring. As a
freshman in 2008, Childs led the team with a .339 batting average,
was second with a .551 slugging percentage, and fourth with five
home runs. Childs was the captain of the T.L. Hanna baseball team
in Anderson his senior season, was all-conference, All-State, and
was selected to the North/South All-Star game. Childs was ranked as
the number two first baseman in the state, according to Diamond
Prospects.
“We’ve seen Kevin do some very eye-catching things over
the last few years at Wingate,” said Anderson, who was also
Smith’s assistant coach at Belmont Abbey. “He has the
kind of power that can hit in the middle of the lineup. He also can
really add some depth from the left side of the bullpen. Childs
will be a great addition in many facets for us this
year.”
Coming of an arm injury in 2009, Davis pitched just two innings for
the University of Rhode Island. He was a four-year honor roll
student and member of the football and baseball teams at ConVal
Regional High School in Peterborough, N.H. Davis helped his team
win the 2006 baseball state championship and was team MVP his
junior and senior seasons. He was named Class 1 Player of the Year
with a 1.84 ERA and a .512 batting average while earning All-State
honors his junior and senior seasons.
“Ross has gradually recovered from an arm injury he suffered
at Rhode Island,” Anderson said. “He is entering the
fall for the first time fully healthy. We are looking forward to
seeing how Ross progresses with a clean bill of health. He has a
chance to be a very talented addition to the pitching staff. With
three years at Lander, we look forward to seeing him reach his
potential.”
Farquhar pitched 48 1/3 innings, posting a 6-1 record with a 2.79
ERA at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa. As a
freshman at Indian Hills, he made three starts in eight
appearances, posting a 2-2 record with a 4.56 ERA, striking out 17
in 26.1 innings. The Canadian earned four letters in volleyball and
basketball, and one in track and field in high school, where he
helped his team win the provincial championship in baseball.
“Brandon had a tremendous sophomore season at Indian Hills
Community College,” Anderson said. “He brings
experience to a pitching staff that lost some depth in 2008.
Farquhar also has a wealth of potential. He throws four quality
pitches for strikes and possesses enough talent to take on a big
workload. We are really excited to have Brandon in the mix on the
mound for us in 2010.”
Fludd hit .441 with eight doubles, four triples, four homers, 21
runs scored and 21 RBI as the starting shortstop in his senior year
at Brooks Debartolo High School in Tampa. He also stole 21 bases,
playing for former big leaguer Reggie Williams at Debartolo HS, and
for the Dawg Pound out of Tampa in the fall and summer.
“Aaron had a great career at Brooks Debartolo,”
Anderson said. “With some question marks on the infield in
2010, Fludd could be a major contributor as a freshman. Aaron is a
very talented player. He does a lot of different things on the
field. We have always tried to recruit kids that bring a lot to the
table and Aaron fits that mold to a tee. His four years at Lander
should be fun to watch.”
Hernandez hit .301 with 12 RBI at South Florida Community College
last spring. He played a number of positions and has tremendous
defensive talent and ability to lead a pitching staff, Anderson
said.
“Pete will bring some experience and ability to the table for
Lander this year,” Anderson said. “He played at a very
good junior college program in South Florida Community College. We
look forward to seeing what Hernandez can bring to the table for
Lander in 2010.”
Hopper posted a 2-1 record and 5.32 ERA, making six starts and
pitching 22 2/3 innings at Erskine last spring. He red-shirted in
2008.
“Cory played for a very good Erskine team in 2009,”
Anderson said. “He brings a lot of upside. He could
potentially factor in a great deal to the pitching staff this year.
We have seen Cory look good at times on the mound, and look forward
to seeing what the future holds for Hopper.”
McNulty led Providence to a state runner-up finish in 2009. He sat
out for a month of the spring of 2009 with a hand injury, but
finished strong hitting .278 with one homer, four doubles, 10 RBI
and seven stolen bases.
“Ryan is a very toolsy player,” Anderson said.
“He is a big kid who runs and throws very well. He also has a
lot of power potential at the plate. McNulty came from a very good
high school program. We love getting kids from that background
because we know they are winners. Ryan could potentially factor in
as a freshman and hope that his progress goes as quickly as we
think it can.”
Runyon posted a 1-1 record in 17 innings pitched with a 4.76 ERA at
Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Ks. As a
freshman, Runyon threw nine innings as Johnson County went on to
compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association World
Series in Colorado.
“Ben was the product of two very good teams at Johnson
County,” Anderson said. “Standing 6-foot-8, we think
Runyon has the potential to be a very good pitcher. We know that he
has a winning background and some experience in big games. This
will fill a void of departing seniors on the mound. Ben should
factor in right away on the mound, and we look forward to seeing
him improve over his two years at Lander.”
Tebaldi led Suffolk West Community College to a third consecutive
region championship. He was the team captain, hitting .315 with
four homers, 19 RBI, and 20 runs scored. He was also named the
Region XV Tournament MVP.
“Joe played for a tremendous junior college in 2009,”
Anderson said. “As team captain for a third straight region
champion, he will add a lot of experience in big games for Lander
in 2010. Tebaldi does a lot of different things well. We look
forward to having that kind of offensive and defensive mix in a
catcher. Joe should be a big addition to Lander in 2010.”
Vesnesky hit .379 with five doubles, 15 runs scored, two stolen
bases, and 11 RBIs at Jupiter High School in 2009. He is a
versatile player who catches and can also add depth in the infield.
He was All-Conference, made the all-tournament team, and was second
team All-Area.
“Michael came from another very good high school program in
Jupiter High,” Anderson said. “They have consistently
put out good players and Vesnesky fits that mold. Vesnesky is a
versatile player on the field. He can do some different things
defensively which will allow him to bring some depth to different
spots. We are looking forward to seeing how Michael develops in his
four years at Lander.”
Washington starred at nearby Dixie High School. He hit an
outstanding .643 in his senior year, with two doubles, three
triples, four home runs, 28 runs scored and 25 RBI. The team
captain also stole 13 bases.
“Mario is a local product and a tremendous athlete,”
Anderson said. “He has a bright future at Lander University.
We are excited about the possibilities of what Washington can be in
a couple of years. Mario has a lot of solid athletic traits that if
harnessed, could be potentially explosive on the baseball
field.”
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