Louisville has it's first group of 2010 signees that have signed early letters of intent. they are as follows:
Check
www.UofLSports.com for updates on the 2010 Louisville baseball recruiting class.
Alex Chittenden, SS
Indianapolis, Ind. (Lawrence Central HS)
Chittenden, a 6-0, 175-pound shortstop, earned All-State honors as a junior after hitting .455 with eight home runs, 14 doubles and 34 RBI for Lawrence Central and head coach Dan Roman. He is the No. 3 rated prospect in Indiana, is a two-time All-Conference honoree and was named to the Indianapolis Star Metro Super Team in 2009. He attended the Perfect Game National Showcase. He is a smooth defensive infielder with good bat speed and strong hands at the plate. As a sophomore, he hit .390 with three home runs and hit .388 with three home runs as a freshman. He has also played for the Indiana Bulls and the Roundtripper Academy. Along with three years of baseball, he has also earned two letters in soccer for Lawrence Central.
Jake DePew, C
Granite City, Ill. (Granite City HS)
DePew, a 6-1, 215-pound catcher, is a preseason All-American and All-State honoree at Granite City, where he is coached by his father Daren DePew. He attended the Perfect Game National Showcase and is the No. 4 rated prospect in Illinois. As a junior, he hit .558 with seven home runs, 21 doubles, 53 RBI and 46 runs scored. As a sophomore, he hit .405 with a pair of home runs, 12 doubles and 28 RBI, and that season followed a freshman campaign which featured a .337 average and 20 RBI. With his athletic build, good bat speed as a hitter and good arm strength behind the plate, he has also earned All-Metro and All-Conference honors. He plays summer baseball for the St. Louis Pirates. Along with his three years of baseball, he has also lettered in football and basketball at Granite City.
Dace Kime, RHP
Defiance, Ohio. (Defiance HS)
Kime, a 6-4, 205-pound right-handed pitcher, is a Preseason Louisville Slugger All-American, a First Team All-State selection, the No. 5 rated prospect in Ohio and is the 2009 Western Buckeye League co-Player of the Year after finishing with a 9-0 record, a 0.70 ERA and 105 strikeouts on the mound for Defiance High School, where he is coached by Tom Held. He attended the Perfect Game National Showcase, the East Coast Showcase in Lakeland, Fla., and the Area Codes in Long Beach Ca. He is also a two-time All-State and All-District honoree with a 0.66 career ERA and 20-1 career record. He has two career no-hitters at the prep level and had a personal best 16 strikeouts in a game as a junior. He plays summer baseball for the Lake Erie Bulldogs and fall baseball for the Midwest Redbirds. Along with three years of baseball, he has also lettered in basketball and football at Defiance.
Jeff Thompson, RHP
Greenville, Ind. (Floyd Central HS)
Thompson, a 6-6, 265-pound right-handed pitcher, is an All-Conference honoree and the No. 5 rated prospect in Indiana for Floyd Central High School and head coach Casey Laduke. As a junior, Thompson was 5-3 on the mound with a 2.09 ERA and 64 strikeouts, while his sophomore season featured a 6-4 record with a 3.35 ERA and 53 strikeouts. He plays summer baseball with the Indiana Bulls. Along with three years of baseball, he has also earned three letters in football and basketball at Floyd Central. He is also an All-Conference tight end on the gridiron for the Highlanders.
Now let's see how many of them actually show up on campus. With that in mind not a bad start to the class.
In addition to the above Louisville has added 3 more to the 2010 class:
Brandon Alphin, IF/RHP
Mt. Washington, Ky. (Bullitt East HS)
Alphin, a 6-1, 195-pound infielder and right-handed pitcher, earned First Team All-State honors and was named Sixth Region Player of the Year as a junior at Bullitt East High School, where he is coached by Jeff Bowles. On the mound, he was 8-4 with a 2.40 ERA and 67 strikeouts as a junior after going 7-2 with a 1.49 ERA and 74 strikeouts during his sophomore season. He was named MVP of the Semi-State and earned the win in the decisive third game with a complete game, three-hit shutout as Bullitt East made its first ever state tournament appearance. At the plate, he set new school records in 2009 in RBI (65), doubles (21) and hits (62) while finishing with a .477 average overall and seven home runs. As a sophomore, he hit .378 with five home runs and 28 RBI. He has also earned three letters in basketball at Bullitt East.
Joel Bender, LHP
Cincinnati, Ohio. (Oak Hills HS)
Bender, a 6-4, 200-pound left-handed pitcher, is a two-time All-Greater Miami Conference selection and a top-rated left-handed pitcher from Oak Hills High School, where he is coached by Chuck Laumann. He was also named First Team Ohio by ESPN Rise Magazine as he led the Highlanders to the district finals. He participated in the 2009 World Wood Bat Association World Championship and the 2008 World Wood Bat Association 18U National Championship. He plays summer baseball for the Midland Redskins.
Ty Young, IF
Coatesville, Pa. (Malvern Preparatory School)
Young, a 5-10, 170-pound middle infielder earned First Team All-League, All-Main Line, All-County and All-Southeastern Pennsylvania honors as a junior for Malvern Prep and head coach Mike Hickey. As a junior, he hit .444 with four home runs, 53 runs scored and 23 RBI. He also set a new school record for career runs. As a sophomore, he hit .343, reached base by walk or hit-by-pitch 62 times and scored 51 runs as an integral part of Malvern’s impressive 40-3 season and No. 8 national ranking by Baseball America. He has quick hands with good bat speed and uses the whole field. He participated in the 2008 World Wood Bat Baseball Association Underclass World Championship and the 2008 World Wood Bat Association 16U National Championship. He also plays summer baseball for the All-Star Baseball Academy.
A third group of signees as of 11/4/09
Chad Green, RHP
Effingham, Ill. (Effingham HS)
Green, a 6-4, 190-pound right-handed pitcher, is a two-time All-Conference selection and earned All-Area honors as a junior for Effingham High School and head coach Chris Fleener. He was named as his team’s MVP and Cy Young winner as a junior with a 9-2 record on the mound with a 2.33 ERA, one save and 107 strikeouts as Effingham won the regional title. As a sophomore, he was 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA, one save and 44 strikeouts. He participated in the 2009 World Wood Bat Association World Championship and he plays summer baseball for the St. Louis Pirates. He has also earned three letters in basketball at Effingham HS.
Ryan Seiz, 3B
Perkasie, Pa. (Christopher Dock HS)
Seiz, a 6-3, 195-pound switch-hitting third baseman, earned All-League honors and preseason High Schoolhead coach Bill Sigmans as he hit .456 with 13 home runs and 36 RBI. He played in the 2009 and 2008 World Wood Bat Association 17u National Championships as well as the 2009 and 2008 Carpenter Cup, 2009 Select Fest, 2009 Mid-Atlantic Showcase and the 2008 Del-Val Wood Bat Tournament. He also earned All-League honors as a sophomore hitting .427 with eight home runs and 40 RBI and as a freshman with a .394 average, four home runs and 15 RBI. He has earned three letters in soccer and earned All-League honors as a forward. Under Armour All-America honors as a junior for Christopher Dock High School.
Cole Sturgeon, OF/LHP
Owensboro, Ky. (Owensboro Catholic HS)
Sturgeon, a 6-0, 170-pound outfielder and left-handed pitcher, earned Second Team All-State honors and was named Third Region Player of the Year for Owensboro Catholic High School and head coach Allen Cox. He hit .389 with 30 stolen bases and 26 runs scored as a junior and finished 4-3 on the mound with a 0.59 ERA and 62 strikeouts. As a sophomore, he hit .375 with 21 stolen bases and 25 runs scored, while on the mound, he was 5-2 with a 0.52 ERA and 67 strikeouts. He is a two-time All “A” State Tournament MVP for the Aces. He participated in the 2009 World Wood Bat Association 17u National Championship event. He also earned four letters in basketball and two letters in football at Owensboro Catholic.