Missouri Announces Baseball Signees
11/18/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
They are: (name, position, hometown)
*James Boone, infielder, Clinton, Okla.
*Randy Braun, outfielder, Belton, Mo.
*Stephen Cole, pitcher, Keller, Texas
*Scott Fisher, catcher, Tulsa, Okla.
*Brad Flanders, catcher, Smithville, Mo.
*Adam Garrett, infielder, Sikeston, Mo.
*Jeremy Hernandez, infielder, Aptos, Calif.
*Kyle McClellan, pitcher, St. Louis, Mo.
*Nathan Panther, outfielder/pitcher, Muscatine, Iowa
*Zane Taylor, infielder, Kirksville, Mo.
"We had two goals for this year's recruiting class -- bring in quality infielders and left-handing pitching," said Jamieson. "We could potentially lose six infielders after the 2002 season so we felt a need to bring in people who could be ready to step in and contribute immediately. The junior college players we signed bring in offensive abilities and maturity. "While we only signed one left-handed pitcher (Panther), we'd like to bring in one or two more later," continued Jamieson. "We brought in a good variety of pitchers, infielders, outfielders and catchers. Overall, I feel the class was very good."
Boone, a switch-hitting infielder, hit .416 last season with 11 doubles, five triples and two home runs. He drove in 28 runs and also posted a 5-3 record on the pitching mound with 70 strikeouts to earn all-state honorable mention honors.
Braun, a left-handed hitter, was named to the all-tournament team at the 2001 USA Baseball Labor Day Classic while playing for the Kansas City Sluggers. He hit .485 with nine doubles and six home runs in 2001 as Belton won a conference title. In 2000, Braun hit .442 with seven doubles and five homers. Braun is a two-time all-conference pick and was a 2001 all-metro honorable mention selection.
Cole, a right-handed pitcher, has been rated by Baseball America as the 243rd best high school prospect. In the past three seasons, he has posted a 43-10 record with 429 strikeouts and a 2.98 ERA while pitching in both the spring and summer campaigns.
Fisher, a right-handed hitter, hit .519 in 2001 with 19 doubles and eight home runs while driving in 52 runs to earn all-metro honors. He was also named to the 2001 Oklahoma Sunbelt Team. In 2000, Fisher hit .468 with eight doubles and four homers. An all-around athlete, Fisher holds Cascia Hall High School's single-season passing yardage record and, at last report, was the state's leading passer at the 2A level.
Flanders, a right-handed hitter, plays at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College and was a teammate of current Tigers Jayce Tingler (high school) and Derek Roper (Hutchinson). Flanders hit .407 with 12 doubles and five home runs while driving in 45 runs at Hutchinson and earned honorable mention all-conference honors. As a senior at Smithville, he hit .522 with 11 home runs and earned all-conference, all-metro and all-state honors.
Garrett, a switch-hitting infielder, has hit .314 or better the past two seasons with a total of 12 doubles and 30 runs batted in. A two-time all-conference player, Garrett was also named to the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association's Showcase Team. Garrett also is a two-time all-state soccer player who holds school records for goals scored in a game, goals in a season and goals in a career.
Hernandez, a left-handed hitter, can play either second or third base. He plays at Cabrillo (Calif.) College, which won the 2001 Coast Conference title. Hernandez hit .350 with 13 doubles and three home runs while driving in 26 runs last season.
McClellan, a right-handed pitcher, posted a 7-1 record with a 1.23 earned-run average and a conference-best 76 strikeouts at Hazelwood West High to earn all-conference honors. He was twice named to the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Association's All-Star Team and earned most valuable player honors at the 2001 game. McClellan had a 5-1 mark with 47 strikeouts in 2000.
Panther, a left-handed hitting outfielder/pitcher, hit .331 with 15 doubles and three home runs at Muscatine (Iowa) Community College. He also posted a 3-0 record with one save. Panther won a total of 16 games his last two years in high school in addition to hitting .505 and .447 with a total of 20 doubles and 14 home runs those two seasons. A three-time all-conference pick in high school, Panther was also named all-district three times. He was a two-time first-team all-state pick.
Taylor, a left-handed hitter, hit .468 with 13 doubles and six home runs as Kirksville finished as Missouri's American Legion state runner-up. He hit .386 in 2000 and .340 in 1999 during American Legion play. He was named first-team all-state and first-team all-conference in 2001. Taylor is also a member of Kirksville's football (earning 2000 all-conference honorable mention honors) and basketball teams.
