November 29, 2011

AIKEN, S.C. – University of South Carolina Aiken head baseball coach Kenny Thomas announced the signing of six players on Monday, Nov. 21.

Set to join the USC Aiken baseball program for the 2013 season are Roberto Hernandez Jr., James Lynch, William Moore, Charles Padilla, Adrian Rivero and Christian Turnipseed.

Hernandez, Lynch, Moore and Padilla come to the historically-rich Pacer baseball program out of the prep ranks, while Rivero and Turnipseed join the Pacers out of the junior college ranks.

Hernandez joins the USC Aiken baseball program out of St. Pete Catholic High School in St. Petersburg, Fla. He is a right-handed pitcher.

“The answer is yes, this is the son of our stadium’s namesake,” mused Thomas. “I remember a few years ago as a 11 or 12 year old, when he used to visit us with his dad and now he’s a senior in high school. Our hope is someday Robert (as Roberto Jr. is called) will be half the pitcher his dad was, because if he is he will be a great pitcher for us.”       

Lynch signs with the Pacers as a first baseman/outfielder out of St. Pete Catholic High School in St. Petersburg, Fla.                       

“Also from St Pete Catholic High School,” noted Thomas. “Jimmy had to sit out last spring because of transferring to St Pete Catholic, so a lot of people did not know much about him. Jimmy is very athletic; mainly a first baseman with power but could make a position change in college to third base or outfield. He may play some of these positions his senior year in high school.”

A shortstop, Moore joins the USC Aiken baseball program out of Evans High School in Evans, Ga.   

“Tyler can fly and we like that,” said Thomas. “Plays infield at Evans High School but could make a switch to the outfield in college; we’ll just wait and see. The thing we like about him is his offensive abilities. Could be a great leadoff type guy in the future for us. Look for him someday to be causing havoc on the bases in a Pacer uniform.”

Padilla is a catcher out of Collins Hill High School in Lawrenceville, Ga.

“We needed a catcher, specifically a high school one and we got a good one,” remarked Thomas. “Catching was a big concern in our recruiting efforts and we got a polished high school catcher. This guy has a lot of tools and could become a great catcher that may add to a long list of former great catchers at USCA. We wanted a high school guy that we could have for four years and hopefully will be ready to play early.

Rivero is a right-handed pitcher out of Alpharetta, Ga. He comes to the Pacers out of USC Salkehatchie.

“Hard throwing right hander that could be a dominating figure on our staff next year,” said Thomas. “Has been clocked in the low to mid 90s with a great slider. Will definitely fit into our staff immediately next year. We can’t wait to get him in a Pacer uniform.”

Turnipseed joins the Pacer baseball program from Georgia Perimeter. He is a native of Powder Springs, Ga.

“Another hard throwing junior college right-handed pitcher that should make an impact when he arrives at USCA. A former football player mentality makes him my kind of guy on the mound. Great pick up for us and Pacer fans will love seeing this guy on the mound.”

The 2011 Pacer baseball team finished its campaign with a record of 29-21. USC Aiken was 9-15 in Peach Belt Conference action in 2011.

USC Aiken’s 2012 schedule will commence with 13 straight home games at Roberto Hernandez Stadium as the Pacers will play all their games in February at home.

For the eighth straight year, USC Aiken will play its first three-game series of the year against Lincoln Memorial. The familiar foes will open their 2012 seasons with a 4 p.m. contest on Friday, Feb. 3. The three-game series between the Pacers and Railsplitters will end with single 1 p.m. games on Saturday, Feb. 4 and Sunday, Feb. 5. USC Aiken owns a 22-13 all-time series advantage over Lincoln Memorial.