Baseball inks eight on first day of early signing
Nov. 9, 2011 AUSTIN, Texas -- The University of Texas Baseball program received National Letters of Intent eight of the top high school student-athletes in the nation on the first day of the early signing period head coach Augie Garrido announced on Wednesday. “Once again Tommy Harmon, our recruiting coordinator is putting together an outstanding class.,” Garrido said. “It’s early in the signing period, but we are already pleased with the talented players we have already had sign.” The group included two catchers, one outfielder and five pitchers. All eight of the first-day signees hail from Texas. The Longhorns added players from all throughout Texas, including two from Corpus Christi, two from the Houston Area, one from San Antonio, one from Waco, one from Bryan and one from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The catchers include Steve Bean from Rockwall High School and Wyatt Mathiesen from Corpus Christi Calallen HS. Outfielder Courtney Hawkins also hails from Corpus Christi, attending Carroll High School. Three of the five pitchers are right-handers, including Tyler Gonzales from San Antonio Madison High School, Holden Helmink from Conroe Willis High School and Chad Hollingsworth from Waco Robinson High School. The two southpaws are Ty Culbreth from Bryan High School and Travis Duke from Pearland Dawson High School. The Longhorns are expected to finalize the paperwork on more recruits before the early signing period ends on Nov. 16. 2011-12 University of Texas Baseball signing class (as of Nov. 9, 2011)
Steve Bean – C – Rockwall, Texas (Rockwall HS) • Currently ranked No. 322 in the nation among high school juniors by Perfect Game USA • 2011 All-District 10-4A First Team as a catcher • Unanimous pick as District 10-4A Defensive MVP in 2011 • One of three high school players and the only junior to be selected to participate in the 2011 Frisco Celebrity Home Run Derby Quote from recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tommy Harmon: Steve is a left-handed hitting catcher. He is going to be a big framed young man. He is going to be 6-2, 215 by the time he gets through growing. He hits the ball the other way well. He has power, strong arm, and a great future as a catcher. Ty Culbreth – LHP – Bryan, Texas (Bryan HS) Quote from recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tommy Harmon: Ty is a left-handed pitcher. He is a big-time competitor and is a strike-thrower. He can get his breaking ball over in most situations, and his fastball is high-eighties to low nineties. Travis Duke – LHP – Pearland, Texas (Dawson HS) Quote from recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tommy Harmon: Travis is a left-handed pitcher that has shown upper 80s to low 90s, which from a 16- or 17-year old is pretty special. He has a good breaking ball, but he needs to work on his command on that. He is an advanced young man as well. Tyler Gonzales – RHP – San Antonio (Madison HS) Quote from recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tommy Harmon: Tyler has a powerful arm with a strong breaking ball. He is low-to-mid 90s with a 78-80 mph breaking ball. He is going to throw harder because he is going to get bigger. Courtney Hawkins – OF – Corpus Christi, Texas (Carroll HS) Quote from recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tommy Harmon: Courtney had been a two-way player for most of his career at Corpus Christi Carroll, but this summer he turned into one of the premier hitters in the nation. He is more of an outfielder now. He has a large frame, 6-3, 205. He runs well and has exceptional power. He is one of the better high school players in the nation. Holden Helmink – RHP – Conroe, Texas (Willis HS) Quote from recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tommy Harmon: Holden has a very strong arm and a hard breaking ball, and also high 80s to low 90s. Chad Hollingsworth – RHP – Waco, Texas (Robinson HS) Quote from recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tommy Harmon: Chad is a big, strong right-hander with a hard sinker, and he gets a lot of ground balls with a 92 mph sinker.
Quote from recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tommy Harmon: Wyatt is a young man who has played and caught in the summer, and at his high school team in Calallan he has played at third and short. He is primarily a catcher, but his athleticism and his tools in baseball allow him to be a valuable player in the infield if needed. It is very unusual for someone to be very adept at playing short and catcher but he is. He has extra power from the right side, he has a strong throwing arm. He is a guy that we think has a very good future as a catcher. |
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