Lehigh Mountain Hawks add 11 in baseball class of 2013

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FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh head coach Sean Leary announced the addition of 11 student-athletes to the Mountain Hawks baseball program on Tuesday. The list includes nine incoming freshmen and two transfers, from across the nation. The class of 2013 is comprised of Casey Atkins (The Woodlands, Tex.), Steven Ball (Blacksburg, Va.), Scott Hansen (Saddle Brook, N.J.), Alex Jacquez (Dunn Loring, Va.), Thomas O’Malley (Oakland, Calif.), Ryan Patrick (Avon Lake, Ohio), Cameron Phillips (Falls Church, Va.), Brandon Sady (Maple Glen, Pa.), and John Saleh (Wilmette, Ill.). “We expect this class to come in and contribute as freshmen,” Leary said. “There are both pitchers and position players that should immediately compete for time this upcoming spring.”

Leary continued, “Many of the recruits earned impressive personal accolades during their high school careers. However, the most impressive thing about this class may be the overall strength of their high school programs. There are several state championships and even a national championship included in the group. Recruits coming in from winning programs are often battled-tested and it seems their transition to this level is smoother. In addition to their on-field success, this class is the strongest academically that we have secured in my tenure. They are high quality student-athletes Overall, I am very pleased with this group and I am anxious to get them on campus this fall.”

Casey Atkins is a right handed pitcher from The Woodlands, Texas, where he played for John Cooper School. A three-year varsity letter winner, Atkins was named All-Tournament-John Cooper Tournament and honorable mention All-South Zone of Southwestern Preparatory Conference as a junior. Atkins tied the school record for wins by a pitcher in a season with seven, and helped lead his team to a Division II championship of the Southwestern Preparatory Conference. As a sophomore, Atkins was named All-Tournament Shepherd ISD tournament and All-Tournament John Cooper Tournament.

Coming to Lehigh from Blacksburg High School in Blacksburg, Virginia is Steven Ball, a right-handed pitcher and first baseman. Ball was named First-Team All-District, and Second-Team All-Region. He was also named a 2009 Under Armour preseason All-American and was listed as one of the top 2000 high school seniors by Perfect Game. Steven also earned Second-Team All-District as a designated hitter in 2008 .

Scott Hansen is an outfielder from Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey where he was a three-year varsity letter winner. Hansen was part of the national championship Don Bosco team in 2008 as well as their nationally ranked squad in 2009. Scott batted .411 as a senior with 30 RBIs and two home runs. Hansen was named First-Team All-League, and honorable mention All-County. Off the field, he is a member of the National Honor Society, a delegate to American Legion Jersey Boy’s State, and an Eagle Scout.

A catcher from Madison High School in Virginia, in 2009 Alex Jacquez earned 1^st team all-district and was one of only four Northern Region players selected to the Virginia State All-Stars Team. Alex was also selected to play in Gameday Magazine’s All-Star Weekend in July. Jacquez was earned First-Team All-Met by the Washington Post, and was an All-Tournament selection for the HIT Spring Invitational. In 2008, Jacquez earned first team all-district, second team all-region while leading his region in doubles and RBIs. In 2007, Alex helped his Madison team earn a No. 23 nationally ranking by Baseball America.

Thomas O’Malley is a pitcher and outfielder from Oakland, California where he attended St. Ignatius High School. As a senior, O’Malley recorded a .323 batting average with an on-base average of .438, a slugging percentage of .477, and he stole 11 bases and knocked in 14 runs. O’Malley won the Fr. Harry Charlin, S.J. Award for excellence in athletics (baseball and soccer) and academic activities. He played for the summer program “Oakland Baseball Club’, and went 5-1 with a 3.01 ERA on the mound.

Also joining the team from Avon Lake, Ohio is Ryan Patrick. A left-handed pitcher, Patrick played for St. Edwards High School, where he was named All-Conference honorable mention and earned a 4-0 record in 2008 as a reliever for his state championship team. Ryan also played for the Ohio Orioles and went 6-0 as a starter with some work in relief during the ’08 season. Ryan’s St. Edward’s team began 2009 as the pre-season No. 35 ranked team by Perfect Game. Ryan went on to go 7-3 in 2009 earning second team all-conference honors.

Cameron Phillips is a right-handed pitcher from St. Alban’s High School in Washington, D.C. St. Alban’s was ranked 15th in the East Region by ESPN in 2009. In 2008, the school was ranked number one in the area by the Washington Post and 16th nationally by USA Today. In 2009, St. Alban’s won the private school championship and Cameron was the winning pitcher and MVP in the city championship. Cameron was also named 1^st team all I.A.C.

From Maple Glen, Pennsylvania is Brandon Sady. A pitcher and infielder, Sady played for Chestnut Hill Academy where he led the team with a .440 batting average, a .618 OBP, eight doubles, two home runs, 23 RBIs, and 18 walks. On the mound, he registered seven wins and a 2.56 ERA in 46-and-one-third innings pitched. Sady was listed as a player to watch in Philly area’s top pitchers, and his team was nationally ranked during mid-season and currently ranked among the top teams in southeast Philadelphia.

Rounding out the freshmen class is John Saleh, a right-handed pitcher from Wilmette, Illinois where he played for New Trier High School. Saleh played the part of key reliever for New Trier, helping them to a state championship.

Also being added to the team for the 2009-2010 season are two incoming transfer student-athletes. Sean Killeen is an infielder/catcher that comes to Lehigh from Tulane University, having previously attended Cardinal Newman High School in Lakeworth, Florida. Also rounding out this year’s team is catcher Chad Warga, an Easton High School graduate who previously attended the University of Pittsburgh.

Lehigh returns 21 letter winners for the 2010 season, including rising junior Andy Russell who earned First-Team All-Patriot League honors in 2009.

Lehigh Class of 2013