Kent State Lands Six Recruits for 2009-10 in Early Signing Period
Courtesy: Kent State Athletic Communications
Release: 11/14/2008
KENT, Ohio - Kent State University head baseball coach Scott Stricklin announced Friday (Nov. 14) the signing of six baseball players to National Letters of Intent during the November early signing period.
The six recruits, four of which are from Ohio and two of which are from Pennsylvania, include C Jason Bagoly (Austintown, Ohio/Austintown Fitch), RHP Addison Dunn (Warren, Pa./Warren Area), RHP Christian Lockett (Gahanna, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln), INF/RHP George Roberts (Summerhill, Pa./Forest Hills), RHP Brian Taricska (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) and INF/RHP Casey Wilson (Sagamore Hills, Ohio/Akron Hoban).
“The coaching staff is very excited to have these six young men join our program,” said Stricklin. “They are all great student-athletes who we feel can help us continue our championship ways.”
Bagoly played in the Youngstown Class B Summer League with Rondinelli Sports, where he finished second in the league with a .456 average. Bagoly also played for the Midwest Redbirds in fall baseball, which is an elite travel team run by Brian Hopkins of the St. Louis Cardinals.
“We feel that Jason is the best hitter in the state of Ohio,” said Stricklin. “He is a big, strong, physical player that has improved his skills behind the plate dramatically. He will make an immediate impact on our team because of the way he handles himself at the plate.
“Not only is Jason a good baseball player, but also he is an outstanding student. We are thrilled to have him on board,” Stricklin added.
Dunn was named the sixth best prospect from Pennsylvania according to Perfect Game USA for 2009. His fastball has been clocked as high as 93 miles per hour.
“We have been recruiting Addison since the fall of 2007 because of what we saw him do in the summer of ’07. He has an explosive arm and a great breaking ball. He is one of the better athletes that we have seen in our area. Addison is also a very good position player,” said Stricklin.
“We feel Addison’s impact will be greater for us on the mound, but his athletic ability will be a great asset to us as a position player. He is also a great student.”
Lockett will join the Golden Flashes after playing for the Ohio Warhawks summer league team. He also joins future teammate Jason Bagoly as veterans of the Midwest Redbirds elite fall ball travel team.
“Christian has one of the best arms in the state of Ohio. He is big and strong and has a very high ceiling,” Stricklin said. “His fastball has been clocked in the low 90’s and we feel like he will only get better. He is a very hard worker and we are confident he will thrive under pitching coach Mike Birkbeck.”
Roberts signed with the Golden Flashes after playing for Dewald in the Johnstown AAABA summer league. He also played for the Johnstown Jaysox, an elite travel fall baseball team.
“The thing that stood out about George when we saw him was that he can really swing the bat,” Stricklin commented. “He generates a lot of bat speed and can hit the ball to all fields. He is a very versatile player who can play just about any position on the field. We also feel George can help us out on the mound because of the way he competes.”
The Roberts’ family is no stranger to baseball success as George’s brother Rick was on the 40-man roster with the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this decade.
This past summer, Kent State signee Brian Taricska received coaching from former major league pitcher Shawn DePaula.
“We were really impressed with the way Brian handles himself on the mound,” said Stricklin. “He can locate his fastball on both sides of the plate, which reaches into the upper 80’s. To compliment his fastball, he has a plus breaking ball and a good changeup. Brian is a pitcher in every sense of the word.”
The last signee is Casey Wilson, who attends Akron Hoban and played for the Diamond Boys this past summer.
“Casey Wilson may be the best baseball player in the state of Ohio. He can run, throw, hit and play defense,” Stricklin stated. “He will not only help us as a position player, but also help us on the mound. He has an advanced breaking ball that is about as good as we saw all summer. Casey can just flat out play baseball.”
The 2009 Kent State baseball team will begin it’s season Friday, Feb. 20 when it travels to Greenboro, N.C., to take on UNC-Greensboro.
2009-10 Signees Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School Jason Bagoly C 6’4” 220 Austintown, Ohio/Austintown Fitch Addison Dunn RHP 6’0” 180 Warren, Pa./Warren Area Christian Lockett RHP 6’4” 195 Gahanna, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln George Roberts INF/RHP 6’0” 175 Summerhill, Pa./Forest Hills Brian Taricska RHP 6’2” 200 Bay Village, Ohio/Bay Casey Wilson INF/RHP 6’2” 175 Sagamore Hills, Pa./Akron Hoban
