|
 |
|
|
| Blue Hen baseball signs five prep standouts |
| |
11:05 a.m., Dec. 6, 2002--University of Delaware baseball head coach Jim Sherman announced Thursday, Dec. 5, the signing of five standout high school student-athletes during the NCAA National Letter of Intent program early signing period.
The players are outfielder Bryan Hagerich from Somerset, Pa.; right-handed pitcher Matt Heppner from Riverhead, N.Y.; right-handed pitcher Chad Kerfoot from Owings Mills, Md.; infielder Brandon Menchaca from Wilmington; and infielder Rob Parks from Brick, N.J.
Hagerich, a 6-foot 4-inch, 205-pound right-handed hitting outfielder from Somerset High School, heads into the 2003 season considered one of the top high school outfielders in the Mid-Atlantic region. This past summer he hit .427 with 16 doubles, 12 home runs, and 67 runs batted in leading the Somerset American Legion baseball team to a 38-8 record. He was selected to play in the Pennsylvania American Legion All-Star Game.
In 18 games for Somerset High School last spring, Hagerich hit .538 with nine doubles, three home runs, and 32 RBI to lead the team to a 14-4 record. He played this past fall for the Atlanta Braves amateur fall travel team.
Heppner, a 6-foot 1-inch, 180-pound right-handed pitcher from Riverhead High School, enjoyed an outstanding junior season in 2002. He was the winning pitcher in five of his team’s eight wins. He posted a 5-2 record, a 1.33 earned run average, and struck out 74 hitters in just 47 innings. This past summer, Heppner threw for the Long Island Bulls amateur squad and led the team to a 32-12 record. He was 5-2 for the Bulls with a 2.99 ERA.
He also was the field-goal kicker for the Riverhead High School football team during his junior year and kicked the longest field goal in the state with a 53-yarder during the 2001 season.
Kerfoot, a 6-foot, 165-pound right-handed pitcher from Northern High School, went 5-2 with a 1.75 ERA, striking out 61 hitters in 52 innings of work this past summer for the Maryland Orioles summer team. In his junior year at Northern, Kerfoot was 3-2 with a 2.62 ERA. As a sophomore, he was 4-1 with a 1.25 ERA and threw five complete games. He also played this past fall for the Baltimore Orioles amateur fall travel team.
Menchaca, a 5-foot 11-inch, 175-pound right-handed hitting middle infielder from Concord High School, played locally for the Newark Diamonds amateur team this past summer and hit .370 with 10 doubles and five triples. At Concord High School, Menchaca hit .364 with 21 RBI and 13 stolen bases last spring. He earned honorable mention All-State notice as a second baseman. He was chosen to play for the Delaware North team at the Carpenter Cup after both his sophomore and junior seasons.
Parks, a 6-foot 1-inch, 190-pounrd right-handed hitting corner infielder, helped lead Christian Brothers Academy to a 26-4 record last spring. He led the squad to a Shore Conference championship and Parochial A South championship by hitting .406 with five home runs and driving in 28 runs. He was named All-division and All-county. Baseball America Magazine included Parks in its list of the top 200 high school prospects in the country.
UD is coming off its 13th straight winning season in 2002, when Sherman guided the team to an overall record of 35-22 and a fourth place finish in the team's first season as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. Delaware has advanced to the NCAA Regionals five times in the last seven seasons.
Delaware will open the 2003 season Feb. 21-23 with a three-game set at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C.
|
|
