Lander Baseball Inks Six During Early Signing Period

GREENWOOD – The Lander University baseball team, which has 13 new players for this coming season that opens Feb. 2, 2010, has already gotten the 2010-11 recruiting class off to a fast start with six players.

The six players who will begin their Bearcat playing careers in 2011 are right-handed pitcher/first baseman Weston Lawing, right-handed pitcher/catcher Johnny Walker, infielder Erik Lunde, outfielders Tyler Wilson and Marshall Creed, and left-handed pitcher Scott Elitzky.

"We are very excited about the start to our 2010-11 recruiting class," Lander head baseball coach Kermit Smith said. "Coach (Chris) Anderson has worked very diligently over the past three months putting this class together.

"I think that these six players not only help fill immediate needs but also give us a good start on putting together an entire class. We worked very hard at trying to identify the people and students that we were recruiting.

"These six players are not only skilled and proven athletes but are also tremendous students and people. We are excited about getting them on campus," Smith said.

Lawing has been a standout pitcher for South Point High School in Belmont, N.C. He has posted a 15-5 record, a 0.53 ERA, and 137 strikeouts over his last two years. The team MVP led Gaston County in innings pitched (74) last year and all public schools in Gaston County in ERA (0.57) while striking out 73 and walking only 13. He also batted .279 with two home runs.

"Weston is a right-handed pitcher that possesses some things that our coaching staff really looks for in pitchers," Anderson said. "He has the ability to pitch first, and has potential to make gains second. Lawing stands at 6’3" and weighs 200 lbs. He is a big athletic pitcher that we have high expectations for in the future.

"Weston has pitched in the big games for South Point, and we love that he brings a lot of experience to the table as an incoming freshman. Lawing could also factor in at the plate as well. He has some power, and his athleticism could allow him to do some things defensively," Anderson said.

Walker has hit .376 for his career at North Lincoln High School in Lincolnton, N.C., while batting better than .400 over the past two seasons. He accumulated 14 doubles, five triples, and three home runs. On the mound, he has pitched 51.1 innings and accumulated a 5-5 record. Walker has averaged more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings, pulling in an 11.7 average as a junior. He has been named to the All-Conference team for the Southern Piedmont Conference in 2008 and 2009.

"Johnny is a very talented two-way guy," Anderson said. "He brings some electricity to the table while on the mound. He is a fierce competitor that has the stuff to back it. He has played quarterback at North Lincoln all fall and we feel very fortunate to have signed him in the early period.

"Walker also could factor in behind the plate. He has tremendous arm strength and is an above average athlete at our level. We have very high expectations for Johnny here at Lander," Anderson said.

Lunde hit .375 as a junior at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with 27 runs, 30 runs batted in, 20 stolen bases, eight home runs and a slugging percentage of .719.

Lunde was named First Team All-County by the Miami Herald and was also named Second Team All-State for Class 4A. He earned the Most Valuable Player award for the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs, who finished the season with a 24-4 record. Lunde also played for the South Florida Elite Squad coached by Richie Palmer in the summer. The Elite finished the summer ranked No. 4 in the nation while being the Prospect Wire Florida State Champions and WWBA Southeast Qualifier champions.

"We were elated to land Lunde in the early period," Anderson said. "He is an infielder that we feel comfortable enough to play at all three positions. Erik has a great feel for the game. He will add some much needed depth from the left side of the plate in 2011.

"Lunde has a nice combo of speed, power, and defensive ability mixed in with what we feel is an advanced hitting approach. We had hoped to continue our recruiting in South Florida and Erik was the first of many that will keep that trend intact."

Wilson, who played at Dorman High School in Spartanburg, played for the Upstate Mavericks and Head Coach Chris Nall this summer and fall. He combined for a .420-plus batting average with eight triples and a team-high 20 doubles.

"Tyler is another left-handed hitter that we have high expectations for," Anderson said. "He stands 6’3" and weighs 180 lbs. He is an athletic outfielder with a great deal of potential and has the work ethic to reach that potential.

"Wilson also possesses a nice blend of speed, power, and defensive ability. Tyler is set to have a really good senior year at Dorman and we really can see a lot of growth in his future here at Lander and are excited about the possibilities of what that may bring."

Creed played at Mattoon High School and is currently at Lake Land College, both in Mattoon, Ill. He hit .306 as a freshman at Lake Land with four doubles, two triples, five home runs, and 28 RBI while also stealing 17 bases out of 20 attempts.

"Marshall is a very athletic outfielder that brings a very consistent top of the order approach to the lineup that we were looking for," Anderson said. "Creed was an accomplished tailback at Mattoon High School in Illinois, which speaks volumes for his overall athleticism.

"Marshall really fits into our type of mold as a baseball player. His approach at the plate will fit in nicely with our system. His defensive ability is something that we need to improve our future here at Lander as well."

Elitzky is a lefty pitcher from Texas who now plays at Crowder College in Neosho, Mo. He tossed 12.2 innings his freshman year, posting a 1-1 record with a 4.62 ERA, helping Crowder to a 38-18 campaign during the 2009 season.

"Scott comes to us from Sugarland, Texas," Anderson said. "He was fortunate enough to play on a tremendous team in 2009 at Crowder. Elitzky is a guy that competes in the strike zone with three different pitches. He changes speeds, but is not exactly a soft left hander. He has some real stuff to back up how he attacks hitters.

"Scott plays for a tremendous program in Crowder College and for a very good coaching staff led by Travis Lallemand. We are really excited to see what kind of year Scott has at Crowder this year and what the future will hold for him at Lander in 2011."