NC State Baseball Signees

[Saab Siddiqui]

http://athletics.ncsu.edu/news/

NC State Signs 12 During Early Signing Period

By: Bruce Winkworth

Standout In-State Players Highlight Fall Recruiting Class

RALEIGH, N.C. -- When NC State baseball coach Elliott Avent and his
staff mapped their recruiting strategy for 1998-99, they decided to
take care of business in their own backyard first. With that in mind,
Avent signed 12 players to athletic grants-in-aid during the November
signing period. Seven of Avent's signees are from North Carolina, five
of them from the Raleigh-Durham area.

"I'm absolutely thrilled with this recruiting class," Avent said. "We're
bringing in an outstanding group of young men who have the talent and
character to go out and win championships. The fact that so many of
them are from this area makes it even more special. I like for our
players to develop a lifetime loyalty to NC State, and the best way to
do that is with high school players because they'll be here for four
years. Since we've recruited so well in-state, we'll be bringing
in players who already have that loyalty."

The Wolfpack landed each and every one of its top local targets,
including three 1998 first-team all-state honorees: outfielder and
lefthanded pitcher Josh Hamilton of Athens Drive High School,
righthanded pitcher and outfielder Daniel Caldwell of Wake
Forest-Rolesville, and lefthanded pitcher and first baseman Michael
Prochaska of Leesville Road.

Avent also signed infielders Brennan Hall of Athens Drive and Jeremy
Dutton of Southern Durham, giving NC State the five best players in the
Research Triangle area in a year when the local talent level appears
to be at an all-time high.

Two other Wolfpack signees, third baseman Matt Brown of Eastern Randolph
and righthanded pitcher Derek McKee, were among the most sought-after
players in the state, giving NC State arguably seven of the top 10
players in North Carolina.

"I don't know whether or not weve signed seven of the top 10 players in
the state, but if you were asked to list the top players in North Carolina,
all seven of these players would have to be considered," Avent said. "With
the caliber of the college programs in this state and the talent level
in this years senior class, were ecstatic to have landed such
a strong group of in-state players."

The Pack did well outside of North Carolina as well, landing three
highly regarded middle infielders -- Ryan Strain of Cherry Creek High
School in Englewood, Col., Chris Goodman of Lassiter High in Marietta,
Ga., and Casey Baker of Towanda High School in Towanda, Pa. -- and
promising lefthanded pitcher Nate Cretarolo of Cherry Hill East High
School in Cherry Hill, N.J. In addition, the Wolfpack signed junior
college righthanded pitcher Jason Blanton of Brevard (Fla.) Community
College.

With this recruiting class, Avent looked to address specific needs and build
depth in the program with younger players. By signing five pitchers and five
infielders, he took care of the Wolfpacks two most pressing immediate
concerns, and when the 12 players in this class, 11 of them incoming
freshmen, are added to the teams current freshman class, the
foundation will be in place for the program to be strong for many years
to come.

"We've had so many great recruiting classes here at NC State, but we've
also lost some outstanding recruits to the professional baseball draft,"
Avent said. "That certainly could happen again this year, but we've
made every effort to recruit players who we felt were college-oriented
players. This group is the strongest academically that weve recruited,
so we dont expect the draft to hurt us as badly as in some past years.
Wel'l know next fall just how good this class is and how many of them
will actually be here, but at this point we feel that this could turn
out to be as good an incoming class as NC State baseball has ever had."

NC STATE'S BASEBALL SIGNEES

FALL 1998

Casey Baker ... SS ... 5-11/170 ... R/R
Towanda High School ... Towanda, Pa.

A slick-fielding middle infielder with speed and pop ... A two-time
all-league performer at Towanda High School ... Batted .486 as a
junior with 11 doubles, one triple, one home run, 17 RBIs, 29 runs
scored and 33 stolen bases in 35 attempts while batting leadoff ...
Helped lead Towanda to a 16-5 record ... Named first team all-league
in the Northern Tier League ... Batted .425 as a sophomore with 30 runs
scored, nine doubles, four triples, one home run, 11 RBIs and 17 steals
in 19 attempts as Towanda went 21-6 and advanced to the Regional finals
... Named first team all-league ... Born August 7, 1980.

Jason Blanton ... RHP ... 6-3/220 ... R/R
Brevard (Fla.) Community College ... Titusville, Fla.

A hard-throwing righthander who continues NC States pipeline to Coach
Ernie Rosseaus fine program at Brevard ... Saw limited action as a
freshman in 1998, posting a 4-2 record and a 3.18 ERA ... Worked 37
innings and recorded 37 strikeouts ... Picked by the Boston Red Sox in
the 28th round of the 1998 June baseball draft, and is under draft
control by the Red Sox until one week prior to the 1999 draft ...
Was a standout performer at Astronaut High School in Titusville, Fla.

Matt Brown ... 3B/OF ... 6-0/175 ... R/R
Eastern Randolph High School ... Ramseur, N.C.

An excellent hitter for one of North Carolinas top high school
programs ... Batted .494 with 10 doubles, four triples, six home runs,
40 runs scored and 39 RBIs to help lead Coach Tommy Manesss Eastern
Randolph club to a 25-2 record and the North Carolina 2-A state
championship ... Earned all-conference in the Mid-State 2-A Conference...
Batted .388 as a sophomore with seven triples and 21 RBIs to earn
all-county and all-conference honors ... Also is a two-time
all-conference selection in football ... Was a teammate at Eastern
Randolph of current Wolfpack player Brian Wright ... Born September
23, 1980.

Daniel Caldwell ... RHP/OF ... 6-0/180 ... R/R
Wake Forest-Rolesville High School ... Raleigh, N.C.

An honorable-mention All-America selection as a junior in 1998 ...
Went 7-2 with a 0.46 ERA, and batted .500 with seven home runs, 23 RBIs
and six stolen bases for WFR coach Ronnie Peoples ... Really stood out
on the mound, allowing 39 hits, walking 16 and striking out 91 in
57 innings ... Was Player of the Year in the Tri-Seven 4-A Conference ...
Named all-state for the second time and earned a spot on The News
and Observers Old Reliable Team ... Played in the State Games and
for the Diamondbacks team in the Eastern U.S. Baseball Showcase Camp
(the East Coast Area Code Games) ... Went 8-2 with a 1.42 ERA as a
junior in 1997 ... Pitched 74 innings, allowed 42 hits, walked 26
and struck out 115 ... Batted .407 and added six home runs, 16 RBIs
and six steals ... Earned all-state honors and was named Player
of the Year in the Tri-Seven 3-A Conference ... Played in the
State Games and the Eastern U.S. Baseball Showcase Camp ... Earned
all-conference honors as a freshman in 1996 after posting a 7-3
record and a 1.98 ERA ... Allowed 59 hits, walked 38 and struck
out 76 in 67 innings ... Is the son of former Wolfpack great
Mike Caldwell (1968-71), who enjoyed a 14-year career in the major
leagues and is currently the pitching coach for the Louisville
Redbirds of the Triple-A International League ... Born October 10, 1980.

Nate Cretarolo ... LHP ... 6-1/185 ... L/L
Cherry Hill East High School ... Cherry Hill, N.J.

A top lefthander from the Philadelphia metro area ... Went 4-4 as a
junior at Cherry Hill East High School, and 5-3 for Cherry Hill
American Legion Post 372 ... Had a combined spring and summer ERA
of 2.71 ... Worked 92 1/3 innings, striking out 125 ... Named
all-state in Group 3 by The Newark Star-Ledger, and was a second-team
All-South Jersey selection by The Philadelphia Inquirer ... Earned
first-team all-conference honors in the Olympic Conference ... Played
at the same high school that produced former Wolfpack star lefty
Shawn Senior, who has worked with Cretarolo as a private pitching
tutor since 1993 ... Born April 26, 1981.

Jeremy Dutton ... SS ... 5-11/165 ... L/R
Southern Durham High School ... Durham, N.C.

An excellent middle infield prospect ... Has been a three-time
all-conference and a two-time all-state pick for Coach Pete Shankle
at Southern Durham ... Batted .363 with three home runs and 16
RBIs as a junior in 1998 ... Earned a spot on The News and Observers
Old Reliable Team ... Named all-conference in the Pac Six 4-A
Conference for the third consecutive year ... Played in the Stat
Games in 1996, 97 and 98 ... Was invited to play in the East Coast Area
Code Games in 1997 and 98 ... Born November 15, 1980.

Chris Goodman ... SS ... 5-11/160 ... R/R
Lassiter High School ... Marietta, Ga.

A highly recruited player from the Atlanta metro area ... Will be the
starting shortstop for the likely preseason No. 1 ranked team in the
country ... Has been a star player for various all-star teams in Cobb
County, one of the nations top baseball hotbeds ... Is one of the best
defensive shortstops in the Southeast ... Has helped lead Lassiter to one
state championship series and to the state playoffs twice ... Batted .253
with three home runs, nine RBIs and 20 runs scored in 29 games as leadoff
batter for Lassiter as a junior in 1998 ... Team went 23-6, but was
eliminated in the regional playoffs ... Earned second-team All-Cobb County
honors ... Moved into the starting lineup as a sophomore for Lassiter
coach Mickey McMurtry 10 games into the 1997 season and helped turn
Lassiters season around ... Club went from a 5-5 record to 28-10, earning
a spot in the state finals ... Was the starting shortstop this past summer
for the East Cobb Astros 16-year-old team, which won the AAU World
Series championship ... Batted .425 with 11 homers, 84 RBIs and 16 stolen
bases to help the Astros to an 89-6 record on the summer ... Is a
three-year starter at shortstop for the No. 1 East Cobb traveling team,
helping East Cobb to the AAU World Series in 1995, 97 and 98
... Born August 30, 1981.

Brennan Hall ... 3B ... 6-2/205 ... R/R
Athens Drive High School ... Raleigh, N.C.

A top-flight player from John Thomass nationally ranked program at Athens
Drive High School ... Batted .425 with seven home runs and 32 RBIs to help
lead Athens Drive to a 24-5 record and the state 4-A championship series ...
Earned all-conference honors in the Cap-Eight 4-A Conference for the
second year in a row, and was honorable-mention all-state ... Also named
academic all-conference ... Played in the State Games ... Born February
13, 1981.

Josh Hamilton ... OF/LHP ... 6-4/200 ... L/L
Athens Drive High School ... Raleigh, N.C.

Ranked the No. 2 high school player in the country by Baseball America
magazine, which projects that he will be one of the first five players
taken in next Junes baseball draft ... Established himself as a probable
first-round draft pick next June with an outstanding junior season and a
strong showing in several showcase camps over the summer ... Helped
lead Athens Drive to a 24-5 record, the state 4-A championship series,
and a spot in the national rankings by hitting.636 with 12 home runs and
56 RBIs, and going 11-2 with a 1.37 ERA for Coach John Thomas ... Struck
out 159 and walked 60 in 87 innings ... Tossed a no-hitter against Wake
Forest-Rolesville in the first round of the state playoffs, striking out
15 and recording a 2-0 victory over fellow Wolfpack signee Daniel
Caldwell ... Earned all-conference in the Cap-Eight 4-A Conference, and was
named to The News and Observers Old Reliable Team ... Was a consensus
all-state selection for the second year in a row, and won the Gatorade
Circle of Champions Award as North Carolinas Player of the Year ... Chosen
as the No. 2 prospect at the prestigious Team One Select Showcase Camp in
St. Petersburg, Fla. ... Was chosen to compete for the U.S. Junior National
team for the World Championships, but did not participate because of an
injury ... Was an all-conference selection as a freshman and a sophomore...
Born May 21, 1981.

Derek McKee ... RHP ... 6-8/195 ... L/R
Asheboro High School ... Asheboro, N.C.

A highly regarded pitching prospect with a live arm and tremendous
potential ... Also is an honor student ... Played in just six games as
a junior in 1998 due to a collapsed lung ... Pitched just 2 1/3 innings
because of the injury ... Batted .500 (11-for-22) with 14 RBIs in limited
time at first base near the end of the season ... Was 4-1 as a sophomore
and was an all-conference selection in the Mid-Piedmont 3-A Athletic
Conference ... Was recruited heavily by some of the top programs in the
country before committing to NC State ... Born September 28, 1980.

Michael Prochaska ... LHP/1B ... 6-0/180 ... L/L
Leesville Road High School ... Raleigh, N.C.

A two-time all-state performer and one of the most highly regarded
pitchers in the state of North Carolina ... Had an outstanding junior
season, posting a 6-2 record with a 1.65 ERA for Leesville Road ...
Worked 61 innings, walked 12 and struck out 81 ... Also played first
base and the outfield, batting .408 with seven home runs and 24 RBIs...
Struck out just one time in 83 at-bats ... Named first-team All-Cap 8
Conference and first-team all-state for the second year in a row ... Was
a member of The News and Observers Old Reliable Team ... Played in the
Team One Showcase Camp and the Eastern U.S. Baseball Showcase Camp (the
East Coast Area Code Games), two of the most prestigious summer camps
in the country ... Went 10-1 with a 1.75 ERA as a sophomore to earn
all-conference and all-state honors ... Named to The News and Observers
Old Reliable Team ... Played in the97 East Coast Area Code
Games, and participated in the State Games of North Carolina...
Born May 23, 1980.

Ryan Strain ... SS ... 5-10/170 ... R/R
Cherry Creek High School ... Englewood, Col.

A highly regarded middle infielder and a three-sport standout for one of the
top high school programs in the country... Batted .450 with three home runs
and 16 stolen bases as a junior for Coach Mark Johnson in 1998 to help lead
Cherry Creek to its fourth consecutive Colorado state championship ... Was
the starting shortstop for Cherry Creeks state championship teams in 1997
and 98 ... Named All-Centennial League and honorable-mention all-state both
years ... Is a three-year starter at point guard in basketball and a two-year
starter at quarterback in football ... Is the son of former major league
infielder Joe Strain, who now is a scout for the San Francisco Giants ...
Born October 15, 1980.

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