Garrett Smith set a school record for stolen bases in 2008 at Weatherford College.
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Stephen F. Austin head baseball coach Johnny Cardenas announced on Monday the signing of six players to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period for the 2010 season, including four junior college transfers and two that will join SFA directly out of high school.
Three members of the class – Justin Braddock (Cisco JC), Landon Kozeny (Brookhaven JC) and Brad Oates (Cisco JC) – will come in exclusively as pitchers, while a first baseman – Max Lamantia (Flower Mound HS) -, center fielder – Garrett Smith(Weatherford College) – and pitcher/third baseman – Brett Higginbotham (Hutto HS) are also included.
“As a staff we are very satisfied with our early signees,” Cardenas said. “We have guys that can come in and make immediate impacts for our team, including four pitchers that really fit our philosophy on the mound of pounding the strike zone and letting the defense play behind you.”
2009 Early Signing Class:
Garrett Smith – 5-11, 175 lbs (Carthage, Texas/Carthage HS/Weatherford JC)
Smith, a center fielder from Carthage, Texas, earned second team all-conference honors last season at Weatherford College. The 5-11, 175-pound Smith got at least one hit in 40 of 47 games last season in leading the Coyotes to a 35-17 record. Overall, he hit .405 for the year with three home runs and 40 RBI, only striking out 13 times in 173 at-bats.
But his most exciting prowess comes on the basepaths as he will provide the ‘Jacks with an instant threat to steal after swiping 35 bases last year on 38 tries, setting a school record at WC in the process. He stole at least two bases in a game nine times last year.
Coming from a high school known for its baseball success, Smith was also a TSWA honorable mention Class 3A all-state selection as a senior at Carthage High School, leading the Bulldogs to consecutive district titles and deep runs in the Class 3A playoffs.
“Garrett is a true center fielder,” Cardenas said. “With Zach Gardner leaving after this year, signing Garrett was a big deal because he can immediately step in and pick up the slack in center field and at the top of our lineup.”
Justin Braddock – 6-2, 180 lbs (Southlake, Texas/Carroll HS/Cisco JC)
Braddock is a right-handed pitcher chose to come to Nacogdoches over Tarleton State after what will only be his third season on the mound, only converting to a pitcher at the beginning of his senior season at Southlake Carroll High School.
“We noticed in practice that he just had a natural cutter in practice,” Carroll head coach Larry Hughes said. “He did not even know that he was doing it.”
He quickly got the grasp of it though, teaming up with current Vanderbilt pitcher Chase Reid to form a dominating 1-2 punch at the top of the 2007 Dragon rotation, earning All-District 5-5A honors in his first season as a pitcher. That year he posted an 11-1 record with a 2.12 ERA and one save, striking out 81 and only walking 20 in 69.1 innings of work. His Carroll team finished with a 28-9 record and earned a berth in the Class 5A Region I quarterfinals.
The 6-2, 185-pound Braddock got into 19 games in 2008 as a freshman for Cisco Junior College, putting up a 5-1 record with a 4.98 ERA and four saves. He struck out 45 and only walked 16 in 47 innings of work, earning an invitation to the JuCo All-Star game played in Waco, Texas, at Baylor Ballpark.
“He’s a solid pitcher who could be a weekend guy for us,” Cardenas said. “He had success last season at Cisco and will have every opportunity to pitch on the weekends for us.”
Landon Kozeny – 6-1, 185 lbs (Frisco, Texas/Centennial HS/Brookhaven JC)
Kozeny is a 6-1, 185-pound pitcher that caught SFA’s eye after striking out the side in his inning of work at the JuCo All-Star game, earning that invitation by posting a 3-2 record and 5.12 ERA at Brookhaven Junior College. He started out in the bullpen for the Bears, but eventually moving into a starting role, finishing with 43 strikeouts and 26 walks in 45.1 innings as a freshman.
He spent his high school days as a pitcher at Frisco Centennial High School, twice earning second team all-district honors for the Titans. He tossed 54 innings in both his junior and senior campaigns, striking out 113 and walking 38 in those 108 innings in the high school ranks. He held a 3.11 ERA as a senior and a 2.59 ERA as a junior at CHS.
“Landon is really a mix-bag kind of pitcher, a guy that could fill a number of roles for us,” Cardenas said. “He could close, start or pitch in middle relief and will make a big difference for us in one of those roles next season.”
Brad Oates – 6-0, 185 lbs (Decatur, Texas/Decatur HS/Cisco JC)
Oates will see some familiar faces when he arrives on the SFA campus, and not just his current Cisco teammate Justin Braddock. Originally from Decatur, Texas, he was a teammate of both Thomas and Joe Staley at Decatur High School.
A right-handed pitcher, the 6-0, 180-pound Oates chose SFA over the likes of UT-Arlington and Dallas Baptist after spening last season at Cisco JC where he put up a 9-5 record as a freshman. He was the winner in his first five decisions of the year, finishing second in the NTJCAC with his nine wins. Oates tossed 73 innings in 15 games, earning eight starts and throwing one complete game. For the year he finished with 66 strikeouts, 30 walks and a 4.56 ERA, which was good enough for 11th in the conference.
He was a Class 3A first team all-state selection as a junior, also being named the 2006 District 7-3A MVP in leading the Eagles to the first of back-to-back district titles. He picked up a win in game one of a three-game series against eventual state qualifier Abilene Wylie in the 2006 Class 3A Region I finals.
Oates didn’t fall off in his senior season either, earning the 2007 District 8-3A Pitcher of the Year award as DHS advanced deep in the playoffs once again.
“Brad will almost certainly be a Friday or Saturday night guy for us,” Cardenas said. “He’s been one of the more successful pitchers at Cisco over the last few seasons and we expect him to be successful here as well.”
Max Lamantia – 6-5, 185 lbs (Flower Mound, Texas/Flower Mound HS)
Lamantia was an instrumental cog in Flower Mound High School’s run to the Class 5A Region I finals as a junior, and will bring his projectable 6-3, 185-pound frame to SFA. He saw plenty of action for the Jaguars last year, playing in 40 games at first base and hitting .337 with a pair of home runs and 28 RBI while slugging .495 with a .462 on-base percentage.
“We really like the upside that Max brings to the table, especially his bat,” Cardenas said. “He’s an extremely talented first base or outfield prospect that can play on the corners and possesses really good power.”
Brett Higginbotham – 6-3, 175 lbs (Hutto, Texas/Hutto HS)
Like Oates, Brett Higginbotham will have a familiar face at SFA after playing his high school baseball at Hutto High School with current Lumberjack Garrett Carey.
Higginbotham earned All-District 18-3A honors as a third baseman as a junior, helping lead the Hippos to the Class 3A state tournament in Austin. A varsity letterwinner since his freshman season, he has been a part of the state playoffs each of his three years at HHS. He hit .308 at the plate, but also did plenty of damage with his arm as he posted a 9-1 record with a pair of saves and a 1.79 ERA last year, holding batters to just a .186 average.
He had his share of clutch performances last year as well, picking up a win in the regional finals against Taylor after he tossed a two-hit shutout in the deciding game of the regional semifinals against Jasper just a week earlier.
“Brett has been a very successful pitcher at the high school level, and we expect him to be successful at the college level as well,” Cardenas said. “He’s got tremendous potential throwing in the mid-80’s right now and with some development he’s got the ability to be one of the best pitchers in this league.”
