FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
ELON, N.C. – Elon Phoenix head baseball coach Mike Kennedy today announced that his program has signed nine players to National Letters of Intent for the 2010 season. Joining the program next year will be: Chris Bresnahan (Freehold, N.J./St. Rose HS), Seth Canipe (Shelby, N.C./Shelby HS/Louisburg College), Dylan Clark (Manchester, N.H./Trinity HS), Mitch Conner (Lowell, N.C./Ashbrook HS/Guilford Tech), Niko Fraser (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School), Jim Stokes (Royersford, Pa./The Hill School), Alex Swim (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford), David Wood (Park Ridge, N.J./Saint Joseph Regional HS) and Kyle Webb (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS).
“I am very excited about this class,” said Kennedy. “Coach Starbuck and Coach Huffstetler have done a tremendous job of putting this class together. We lost some very talented players and there is a chance we could lose some draft eligible juniors and, because of that, we felt it was important to find players that have a chance to help us early in their careers here at Elon.”
Bresnahan, a 6-2, 195-pound infielder, is a three-time first team all-division selection at St. Rose High School where he plays for Jim Agnello. He has also earned First, Second and Third Team All-Shore Conference accolades as well as all-county honors in his three seasons. Bresnahan helped lead his prep squad to three division titles along with county and state titles in 2008. Chris is the son of Brian and Lynette Bresnahan.
Kennedy on Bresnahan: “Chris is an athletic player. He is big for the shortstop position but we believe his athleticism will allow him to compete right away at this level.”
Canipe, a 6-2, 190-pound infielder, will transfer into Elon from Louisburg College and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining. As a freshman at Louisburg, Canipe batted .359 with 12 doubles, four home runs, 42 RBI and seven stolen bases in 45 games. He was named Second Team All-Region X in 2008 after helping Louisburg to a region runner-up finish. Canipe also helped his 2008 American Legion squad to a Southeast region runner-up finish. Canipe was a two-year all-league selection at Shelby High School where he played for Tommy Wease. Seth is the son of Steve and Ann Canipe.
Kennedy on Canipe: “Seth is an offensive player who will factor in the middle of our line-up. He can play anywhere on the field and we believe he will have a ton of success here.”
Clark, a 6-5, 175-pound left-handed pitcher, is a two-time all-state selection for Ed Poisson at Trinity High. In his junior year, Clark went 7-1 with a 0.80 ERA as the team went 14-4. Clark has posted a career mark of 18-5 with an ERA of 1.80. In 2007, Trinity was the Class L runner-up. Dylan is the son of Brian and Heidi Clark.
Kennedy on Clark: “Dylan has a chance to be a special player here at Elon. We went after some arms that we thought could step in and pitch right away and we think Dylan fits that mold.”
Conner, a 6-3, 210-pound right-handed pitcher, will transfer into Elon from Guilford Tech with two years of eligibility remaining. As a freshman at Guilford Tech, Conner recorded two saves and made 14 appearances on the mound. He threw 12.2 innings and struck out nine hitters. Conner played his prep ball for James Parks at Ashbrook High. Mitch is the son of Dale Conner and his stepmother Sandi Conner.
Kennedy on Conner: “Mitch is just coming into his own. He has a live arm and a plus curveball. He will make an immediate impact and make our pitching staff better without question.”
Fraser, a 5-9, 165-pound outfielder, led a three-county area in total hits and batted .487 with a .523 on-base percentage in 2008. He was a First Team All-First Coast pick in 2008. Prospect Wire has ranked Fraser among the top-75 players in the state of Florida. He was awarded the Golden Glove award at the 2008 Westminster Academy National Tournament and played for the Florida Bombers summer squad in 2008. An all-academic student at The Bolles School, Fraser helped lead the squad coached by Storm Davis and Mike Boswell to two district titles (2007, 2008), a regional semifinal (2008) and a state final four appearance (2007). Niko is the son of Lewis and Melissa Fraser.
Kennedy on Fraser: “Niko is a baseball player. He loves the game, plays hard and enjoys doing it. He really fits well into our philosophy as he is a tremendous base runner who we believe will steal a lot of bases while in an Elon uniform.”
Stokes, a 6-6, 180-pound right-handed pitcher, went 4-1 with a 2.24 ERA as a junior for Dr. Jim Finn’s The Hill School team. A two-year team captain, Stokes has been an all-area selection. He represented the New York Yankees in the Area Code Games in the summer of 2008. As a member of the All-Star Baseball Academy team, Stokes helped the squad to a third-place finish in the WWBA World Championship in the fall of 2008. Jim is the son of Michael and Janet Stokes.
Kennedy on Stokes: “Jim is going to be special. I believe he has the makings to be a power arm in college. He is 6’6” and weighs 180 pounds. He is already touching 90 on the gun and, with added weight and strength, he has a chance to be a great player.“
Swim, a 5-11, 170-pound catcher, has been both an all-conference and all-area player for Sonny Gunn’s Northwest Guilford program. He has also been named team MVP. Alex is the son of Keith and Mary Swim.
Kennedy on Swim: “We believe Alex is a steal for our program. He has great arm strength behind the plate and has a great approach offensively. Alex has a chance to be a special player for our program.”
Wood, a 5-11, 170-pound outfielder, has been a three-year varsity starter for Frank Salvano’s Saint Joseph Regional squad. The team leader in both stolen bases and runs scored as a sophomore and a junior, Wood batted .476 last year. He was named the team’s MVP his freshman season. Wood has collected All-North Jersey, all-county, all-suburban and all-league accolades in his time with the program. He has also been honored with Saint Joseph’s Athlete of the Year award. Wood was also an all-state pick as a football player.
Kennedy on Wood: “David brings a great deal of speed to our outfield. Defensively, he will be special and has the ability to put a lot of pressure on opposing teams with his speed. He will be a good player for us.”
Webb, a 6-0, 170-pound right-handed pitcher, helped lead Mac Mackiewitz’s Providence squad to a 2008 Class 2A state title and was named District 6-2A Player of the Year. A First Team All-First Coast and First Team Class 2A All-State selection, Webb went 10-1 with one save and a 0.80 ERA as a junior. In 67.2 innings a year ago, Webb fanned 70 and walked only 12. Webb allowed only one hit and an unearned run while throwing a complete game in the state championship contest. He also was the winning pitcher in two district championship series games. Webb was named a MaxPreps Baseball All-American. As a sophomore, Webb went 7-3 with a save and a 2.35 ERA. He walked just 15 and fanned 45 in 62.1 innings of work. Kyle is the son of David and Cynthia Webb.
Kennedy on Webb: “I am really excited about Kyle. He is one of those pitchers who has the ability to make good hitters look bad. He will make an impact for many years at Elon.”
