Youngstown State grabs two recruits

1.8K

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Youngstown- Infielder Zac McFarland and pitcher Bill Turosky have signed a National Letter of Intent to continue their academic and baseball careers at Youngstown State, Penguins head coach Rich Pasquale announced.

McFarland is a 6-foot infielder from Loveland, Ohio, while Turosky is a 6-foot-2 left-handed pitcher from Chardon, Ohio.

“When Zac and Bill committed to Youngstown State, we no doubt got better as a program,” Pasquale said. “They both have the talent and ability to come in right away and make an impact.”

The Penguins could only sign two players because of newly-adopted NCAA legislation that limits baseball programs to 27 scholarship players on its roster. YSU has only two seniors on its 2009 roster, but there are 13 juniors on the squad. Pasquale said two more players, who cannot be announced because of NCAA rules, have also given verbal commitments to play at YSU next season and receive scholarship money as sophomores.

McFarland led Division I Milford High in home runs, RBIs, batting average and slugging percentage as a junior in leading Milford to the Fort Ancient Valley Conference title. Milford finished 22-5 and finished the year ranked 12th in Ohio.

McFarland was recently judged as the top-rated hitter at the Buckeye Elite Showcase among 86 of the best players from the Midwest. In 2007, McFarland earned a “Professional Ability Level” rating at the plate at the University of Kentucky Labor Day Showcase. That same year he was also invited to play on the 17-and-under Ohio Heat at the U.S. All Star World Series, where he helped win the national tournament by hitting .714 with a 1.429 slugging percentage.

“We’re very excited to have Zac become part of our program,” Pasquale said. “We think he’s one of the best hitters, if not the best, in the tri-state area (Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan). He has a tremendous work ethic, and he is a very good student. He’s a good person who comes from a good family. He’s really the whole package. We’re looking for him to have an immediate impact at the plate.”

Turosky played a big role in leading Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin to the Division II state final four last season when he went 8-1 in 11 appearances with a 2.39 ERA for the Lions. In 46-2/3 innings, he struck out 59 batters while walking 23 to earn Second-Team All-North Coast League honors. Turosky also went 3-0 on the hill as a sophomore and is entering his third season as a varsity starter.

“Bill is a fiery competitor on the mound, and we’re excited to have a left-hander that knows how to win,” Pasquale said. “He hides the ball well and has the ability to locate on both sides of the plate. He comes from a good baseball school, and he’s a very good student. He also comes from a solid family, which is important for our program. We look for Bill to throw a lot of innings as a freshman.