Head Coach Rodney Hennon - Georgia Southern University
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern University head baseball coach Rodney Hennon announced 11 players have signed to play for the Eagles. The 11 signed a National Letter of Intent during the recent fall signing period and will begin play in 2010.
In all, Hennon signed nine high school players and two junior college transfers. There are three pitchers in the mix with eight position players. The 2008 signees include: pitchers Chris Beck (Jefferson/Jefferson), Ryan McCallin (West Grove, PA/St. Mark’s) and Ryan Sadler (Naples, FL/Naples); catcher Chris Myers (Gainesville, FL/Oak Hall); infielders Davis Hamby (Powder Springs/Harrison) and Reshawn Payne (Stone Mountain/Redan/Middle Georgia JC); outfielders Victor Roache (Ypsilanti, MI/Lincoln), Al Williams (Detroit, MI/Divine Child) and Travis Witherspoon (Sumter, S.C./Sumter/Spartanburg Methodist). Bryce Dial (Columbus/Columbus) and Arthur Owens (Fairburn/Sandy Creek) could play either in the outfield or infield.
Roache and Williams are both from the Detroit area. A First Team All-Conference and All-District pick in 2007, Roache is currently ranked 77th nationally by Baseball America. He batted .325 his freshman year then .425 as a sophomore with six homers. Last summer Roache was chosen to play with the East Coast Professional Showcase team and for the National Breakthrough Series team. An honor student at Lincoln HS, Roache is ranked ninth out of 344 in his graduating class.
A two-time All-State, All-District and All-Region pick, Williams was ranked as one of the ‘Top 50’ baseball players in the state of Michigan. Last year he batted .464 with six home runs, 36 RBI, 25 stolen bases and a .694 slugging percentage. His summer league team (Detroit Eagles) was 2005 runner up in the Major League World Series, won the Major League RBI World Series title the next two years then last summer was runner-up again. Williams was nominated to play for the 2008 USA National Team and selected to play on the East Coast Tournament team in Florida.
McCallin is another Pennsylvania native to sign with the Eagles, (the fifth to play for the Eagles since 2007) but attends St. Mark’s High School in Wilmington, Delaware. The last two years he earned Honorable Mention All-State accolades on the mound and helped St. Mark’s win the state title in 2007. McCallin earned All-Conference honors as both a pitcher and third baseman during his career. He is a member of the All-Star Baseball Academy, which placed third in the World Wood Bat Association Tournament last month.
Beck is a four-year letterwinner in both baseball and basketball. He earned First Team All-Region honors in baseball the past four seasons and twice was named ‘Pitcher of the Year’. During the last three years Beck earned First Team All-Northeast Georgia and All-Area honors. In 2008 he was a member of Team Georgia.
Dial has been voted Columbus HS ‘Offensive Player of the Year’ every year heading into his senior season. He batted .385 in 2008, hitting eight home runs with 39 RBI. He has played in three state championship baseball games and twice been a member of the Georgia ‘Top 100’. Dial earned All-Tournament team honors for Team Georgia last summer playing in Oklahoma.
Hamby batted .350 during his junior year, leading the squad in doubles and RBI. His Harrison HS team posted a 26-1 record last season. Hamby helped his AAU Under-13 and U-16 teams win a national championship. In 2004 he received the East Cobb Coach’s Award, then the following year was named East Cobb Most Valuable Player. A four-year member of the Honor Roll, Hamby owns a 3.6 GPA.
Myers was named Most Valuable Player the past two seasons, in addition to earning First Team All-State and All-County honors following the 2008 campaign. For the past two years he was selected to the Perfect Game Southeast Showcase ‘Top 100’ team. Myers hit .538 last season with 40 RBI, six home runs and 12 doubles while posting a 5-1 record on the mound. Myers was also an Honorable Mention All-State pick his junior year.
Owens batted .440 during his sophomore year and .360 last season, earning All-County honors both years. He has driven in 39 runs with 22 stolen bases over the last two years. During summer 2008 Owens batted .401 with seven doubles, two triples and 24 RBI.
Payne started last year at second base for Middle Georgia Junior College, finishing with a .310 batting average and .471 on-base mark. He drew 27 walks, scored 46 runs and drove in 35. During his time at Redan HS, Payne posted a team-leading .494 batting average with 10 doubles, six home runs, 38 runs scored and 35 RBI. Payne helped his HS team to consecutive Region 2-AAAAA titles. He was selected to the First Team All-DeKalb County and Georgia Dugout Club All-State East Metro teams. Payne earned MVP honors at the Senior All-Star game where he hit for the cycle and drove in five runs.
A three-time All-Conference and Honor Roll selection, Sadler finished his junior year 6-2 with a 1.61 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 52 innings. He won his final four starts of the season, including three complete games and two shutouts. His conference’s ‘Pitcher of the Year’, Sadler has been ranked among the ‘Top 100’ prospects in Florida throughout his high school career.
Witherspoon is second of two JUCO transfers in the signing class. He drilled eight home runs and drove in 31 RBI last season helping Spartanburg Methodist College to the Region 10 championship. He was also named to the South Carolina JUCO All-Defensive team. Witherspoon turned in an impressive prep career, twice earning All-State honors and three times selected All-Region as Sumter HS won the Class 4A title his junior year. He participated in the North-South All-Star game and was the fastest base running skill competition. During his junior year he was named ‘Defensive Player of the Year’ then received the Offensive award as a senior. He helped lead his American Legion team to two state titles and a pair of fourth place finishes at the World Series, earning All-Tournament team accolades both times.
“We knew this was going to be a big class with the number of guys that are graduating, so there were a lot of needs. We’re very excited about this class. We feel it is a very athletic class and that we added to our pitching depth. I’m excited about the contributions that these young men will be able to make to Georgia Southern baseball in the future,” said Hennon. “(Assistant coaches) Mike Tidick and Jason Beverlin did another great job. Those guys worked tirelessly up and down the (East) coast during the summer and fall. We feel like this will be an outstanding group.”
Name Pos HT WT B-T Hometown (HS/JUCO)
Chris Beck P 6-3 200 R-R Jefferson (Jefferson)
Bryce Dial OF/INF 6-3 220 R-R Columbus (Columbus)
Davis Hamby INF 6-1 200 R-R Powder Springs (Harrison)
Ryan McCallin P 6-2 185 R-R West Grove, PA (St. Mark’s)
Chris Myers C 6-4 200 R-R Gainesville, FL (Oak Hall)
Arthur Owens OF/INF 5-10 175 R-R Fairburn (Sandy Creek)
Reshawn Payne INF 6-2 190 R-R Stone Mountain (Redan/Middle Georgia JC)
Victor Roache OF 6-2 195 R-R Ypsilanti, MI (Lincoln)
Ryan Sadler P 6-5 210 R-R Naples, FL (Naples)
Al Williams OF 5-10 180 R-L Detroit, MI (Divine Child)
Travis Witherspoon OF 6-2 190 R-R Sumter, S.C. (Sumter/Spartanburg Methodist College)
