EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville head baseball coach
Wes Carroll announced the signing of five student-athletes to National Letters of Intent (NLI) and one to an ILI Thursday afternoon to continue their athletic and academic careers at UE. The Purple Aces' signing class includes four pitchers and two position players, who will join the Evansville baseball team for the 2015 season.
"I want to thank recruiting coordinator
Andy Pascoe and
Cody Fick on putting together another stellar recruiting class for our baseball program," Carroll said. "They worked extremely hard bringing in the right type of student-athletes for the University of Evansville. We addressed major needs on our pitching staff, as we will graduate key pitchers this year. I also believe we added two position players that have tremendous potential. We are very excited to add this class to our program."
The 2015 UE baseball signing class includes: Ryan Brady (St. Louis, Mo./Oakville), Nicholas Cecil (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon), Nicholas Eggemeyer (Paducah, Ky./St. Mary), Patrick Schnieders (Westphalia, Mo./Jefferson College), Travis Tokarek (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) and Korbin Williams (Newburgh, Ind./Pueblo West [Colorado]/Castle).
RYAN BRADY, 6-4, RHP, R/R, ST. LOUIS, MO. (OAKVILLE)
Notable: First Team All-Suburban-West Conference selection…Posted a 1.40 ERA and 7-0 record with 26 strikeouts around 23 walks in nine appearances at Oakville High School for head coach Rich Sturm…Helped the Tigers to a runner-up finish at the district championships in 2013…Member of the Southside Dirtbags summer team, where he went 4-4 with a 3.20 ERA in 59.0 innings for head coach Mike St. Cin.
Coach Carroll on Brady: "Ryan has great potential on the mound with his low, three-quarter arm slot and a good breaking ball. He adds great depth to our pitching staff. Ryan will be a great student-athlete both on the field and in the classroom.
NICHOLAS CECIL, 5-11, LHP, R/L, LEBANON, OH. (LEBANON)
Notable: Two-time first team all-conference and second team all-area selection at Lebanon High School for head coach Larry Price…Posted a 3-0 record with a 2.60 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 31.2 innings as a junior in helping the Warriors to a second-straight conference championship…Finished 3-3 with 32 strikeouts in 23 innings on the mound as a sophomore…Named the Defensive Player of the Year at Lebanon on two occasions…Played on three club teams, including the Dayton Classics for head coach Gregg Beemer, the Midland Redskins for head coach Brain Hiler and the Butler County Bombers, where he posted a 1.20 ERA and .470 batting average.
Coach Pascoe on Cecil: "Nick is a left-handed pitcher who works in the mid to upper 80s with good movement on his fastball and has a breaking ball that is already an out pitch. An athletic kid, Nick has the potential to be a starter in our rotation early in his career, as he also brings a bulldog mentality to the mound. Nick is going to be competitive both on the mound and in the classroom."
NICHOLAS EGGEMEYER, 6-5, RHP, R/R, PADUCAH, KY. (SAINT MARY)
Notable: Posted an 8-2 record for head coach Matt Smith at Saint Mary High School last season…Led the Vikings to a District 3 championship and was named the Pitcher of the Year at St. Mary, after leading the team in wins…Played for the Kentucky Baseball Club for three seasons under head coach Kevin Clary, going 49-6 and guiding the club to a national championship and club world series title…Team placed seventh out of 250 teams at the world wood bat tournament in East Cobb, Georgia.
Coach Fick on Eggemeyer: "Nick is a well-rounded student-athlete with tremendous upside. His towering presence on the mound and his pitchability are sure to make his development within our program very exciting to watch."
PATRICK SCHNIEDERS, 6-2, RHP, R/R, WESTPHAILA, MO. (JEFFERSON COLLEGE)
Notable: Pitched at Jefferson College for one season for head coach Sam Carel…Four-year letterwinner at Fatima High School for head coach Scott Kilgore, where he posted a perfect 8-0 record on the mound as a senior, leading the Comets to a state championship…Two-time first team all-state selection and two-time first team all-district selection…Won a state championship in 2011 for his American Legion squad that was coached by Denny Hughes…Cousin of former Major League third baseman Joe Crede, who was a member of the 2005 World Series champion Chicago White Sox.
Coach Fick on Schnieders: "Patrick is a highly competitive pitcher that brings with him a winning background. His overall makeup will be a great fit for our program. We are thrilled to welcome Patrick to our pitching staff."
TRAVIS TOKAREK, 5-10, C, L/R, ZIONSVILLE, IND. (ZIONSVILLE)
Notable: Team captain at Zionsville Community High School for head coaches Jered Moore and Bob Brennan…Posted a .459 batting average and .559 on-base percentage over his high school career…Led the Eagles to conference titles in 2010 and 2011 and section and regional championships in 2011…Played for the Indiana Bulls club team for head coaches JB Paxson and Emmit Carney and was named to the Perfect Game WWBA All-Tournament Team.
Coach Carroll on Tokarek: "Travis is a gamer behind the plate, as he has all the tools to be a great catcher in the Missouri Valley Conference. He has a great swing from the left side of the plate and will be a force in our lineup for the next four years."
KORBIN WILLIAMS, 6-2, OF, R/R, NEWBURGH, IND. (PUEBLO WEST [COLO.]/CASTLE)
Notable: Three-year letterwinner at Pueblo West High School for head coaches Dan Sanchez and Curt Welch…Under Armour Pre-Season All-American…Two-time All-Southern Colorado League selection, winning the batting title in 2013…Named all-state in the state of Colorado and was selected as a participant in the Colorado Rockies Futures Games...Led the Cyclones to three-straight conference championships and a runner-up finish at the state championships in 2013…Hit .740 during the 2013 state playoffs with two home runs and 15 RBI in seven games…Hit .500 as a junior with six homers and 50 RBI…Finished his sophomore year with a .440 average and 30 RBI, while hitting .400 with a homer and 20 RBI as a freshman…Played for Team Colorado and the Razorbacks club teams.
Coach Carroll on Williams: "Korbin is a very athletic outfielder that has the potential to produce all five tools. He has raw power at the plate and can over a lot of ground in the outfielder. I'm very excited to watch him develop in our system and compete in the Valley."
