LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI baseball announced nine early commitments for the class of 2019, according to information released by the program Wednesday. The nine players will enter VMI in the fall of 2015.
Eight of the nine hail from the Commonwealth of Virginia, with two coming from Benedictine High School in Richmond, the same school that has produced current Keydet third baseman David Geary and projected Friday starter Andrew Woods. Geary's brother Michael, a left-handed pitcher, is one of those players.
“I am very excited for the addition of this class to the VMI baseball family,” said VMI head coach Jonathan Hadra. “It is a class that will have an immediate impact on the field when they arrive on Post, and it consists of players from some of the top high school and travel programs in the state. They will bring a winning mentality and expectation level to our program. We are looking forward to working with these young men and watching them develop as cadet-athletes.”
Capsules on each of the signees appear below. The 2015 VMI baseball team will open its regular season in Jacksonville, Fla., taking on the North Florida Ospreys on Feb. 13.
Nathan Eaton, SS/P, Thomas Dale/Chester, Va.
Four-year letterwinner at Thomas Dale...2014 Perfect Game preseason honorable mention...2013-14 All-Metro Second Team as a shortstop...6A All-Region Second Team for 2013-14...First Team all-conference in 2013-14...also named honorable mention all-conference previously...Triple Crown 18U Champions - MVP...member of Perfect Game 17U All-Tournament team...Virginia Swamp Things...American Legion Post 284.
Coach's Quote: “Nathan is a player that has been blessed with the talent to play almost anywhere on the field. These athletic gifts, coupled with a competitive desire like few others, give Nate a legitimate chance to play multiple positions at the collegiate level. Another product of the Virginia Swamp Things program out of Richmond, Nate has the arm strength and range to play the left side of the infield and he consistently swung a hot bat every time we watched him play. His competitive character really reveals itself on the bump however. He has been one Thomas Dale's top starters both his sophomore and junior years and will certainly look to see a large amount of innings again this spring. Nate is a strike thrower with swing and miss stuff. He can run his fastball up to the high 80's and throws two different breaking balls that cause havoc for hitters. We are tremendously excited to add Nate to our 2015 recruiting class and are looking forward to watching him develop over the next four years.”
Michael Geary, LHP, Benedictine HS/Richmond, Va.
Four-year letterwinner at Benedictine...First Team All-State member, thanks to his ERA of 1.32...that mark was a school record...three-year member of the Richmond Baseball Academy (RBA) elite team...delegate to Virginia Boys State...Hugh O'Brien leadership delegate...First Academic Honors senior year...brother, David, is currently one of VMI's corner infielders.
Coach's Quote: “Michael is a top tier left-handed pitcher that has the ability to throw three pitches in the zone and will help to fill the vacancy left by senior left-handed pitcher Jonathan Kelley who will be graduating this spring. We are very excited about the addition of Michael because he possesses a plus curveball, a good feel for his change-up and his fastball consistently sits in the mid-80's, touching 87-88 at times. Perhaps the thing we liked mostly about Michael during the recruiting process was his ability to improve and develop between outings. Each time we saw Michael pitch this summer with the EvoShield Seminoles travel team he was better than the time before. His propensity for improvement directly reflects the work ethic Michael has had instilled in him at Benedictine College Preparatory School and is similar to that of his brother David, whom he will be joining on the VMI roster in the fall of 2015.”
Jacob Huggins, 1B/OF, Cosby HS/Midlothian, Va.
Three-year letterwinner at Cosby...First Team all-state, conference, district and region...participated in state tournament...former All-Tournament at the World Wood Bat Tournament...named distinguished honor roll and academic all-district during high school...also earned scholar-athlete award...played at AAU and Triple Crown national championships...played for Virginia Cardinals, Richmond Braves and RISE Baseball...intends to major in business and economics.
Coach's Quote: “With Jacob, we are adding yet another player that has winning in his background. Jake has played for two baseball programs that have seen a large amount of success of the past 3 years. Playing for the Virginia Cardinals travel teams, Jake has had the opportunity to play with one of the top organizations on the East Coast and compete against some of the best players in the nation. Jake is also coming to us from one of the best high school baseball programs in the state of Virginia. Cosby High School has consistently made runs late into the postseason year in and year out and he knows the daily preparation it takes to win. Jake has a very mature approach at the plate, but also has a large amount of pop in his short compact swing. This combination of power and approach gives Jake a great chance to earn at-bats early in his career in the middle of our line-up. Jake will also be following in his brother's footsteps, Wayne Huggins, who is a 2007 graduate of VMI.”
Patrick Jackowski, MIF, Hampton HS/Hampton, Va.
Four-year letterwinner at Hampton HS...made both the all-conference and all-region teams as a utility player, due to his success as an infielder and a pitcher...hit .509 as a junior and went 7-1 with a 1.00 ERA on the mound...Under Armour Preseason All-American...USA Identification Series - Virginia Team...Perfect Game - Ft. Myers - Elite 8...Perfect Game - WWBA - GA...Perfect Game - Jupiter - WWBA...honor roll member...has had five relatives play Division I sports, including his father, who played baseball at Old Dominion, and his great-uncle, a member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame for exploits at William & Mary...intends to major in business and economics.
Coach's Quote: “We are excited to be adding Patrick to our class because he is a young man that has a passion and energy for the game, and we know he will bring that to the yard every single day. I know the entire coaching staff really enjoyed watching Patrick fly all over the field this summer playing the EvoShield Canes, one of the nation's premiere travel baseball organizations. Patrick brings with him the athletic ability to play the left side of the infield and his capability with the bat will have him competing for at-bats as soon as he walks on campus. Patrick will be playing for Hampton High School this spring and is yet another quality addition to our roster from the 757 area code.”
Jake Ottinger, RHP, Benedictine/Richmond, Va.
Three-year letterwinner at Benedictine...also played first base and right field...Tuckahoe Little League...IYG Spiders Showcase...Legion Post 125...Fellowship of Christian Athletes...National Honor Society...intends to major in business and economics.
Coach's Quote: “Jake is another product of the Richmond area and Benedictine College Preparatory School in this year's recruiting class. Jake is a physical, athletic framed right-handed pitcher that we had the opportunity to watch play this summer for the IYG Spiders and also at our Labor Day High School Prospect Showcase here on campus. We were really impressed with Jake's clean arm action and his ability to repeat his delivery. Throughout the summer and fall we saw Jake continually improving and developing a slider that he throws in the upper 70's and watched his fastball velocity climb into the upper 80's. We are extremely excited to add Jake to our recruiting class and feel like he has a chance to contribute early in his career and believe he will develop into a top class collegiate arm during his time here at VMI.”
Matthew Pita, SS/CF, Cosby HS/Midlothian, Va.
Three-year letterwinner at Cosby HS...holds single-game school home run record...state semifinalist...Second Team all-conference...three-year scholar-athlete...named MVP of American Legion 137 three years in a row...Perfect Game Top Prospect list...named to top prospect list at SE Underclassmen Event...2014 Subway HS All-Star Commonwealth Games...honor roll...also played football at Cosby...intends to major in mechanical engineering.
Coach's Quote: “Matt is the second member of the Cosby High School baseball program who will be joining the VMI roster in the spring of 2016. Matt is an athletic player that we have seen play multiple positions on the field both with American Legion Post 137 and the RBA South travel organization. We absolutely love how he competes on a daily basis and the athletic energy he brings to every position on the field. Matt will transition nicely into our aggressive style of offense and will help provide us with options both defensively and offensively. I have seen players come to VMI with similar tools and the same competitive mindset that have had successful careers and I would not be surprised if Matt followed on that same track.”
Garrett St. Laurent, C/OF, Freedom HS/South Riding, Va.
Four-year letterwinner at Freedom HS...led team in triples two of his four years...state semifinalist and two-year state tournament participant...Perfect Game Sweet 16...Richmond Braves national team...Demarini Stars travel team...gold glove award for his high school...school record for most putouts in a season and game...Freedom Eagle Leadership Team (FELT)...YoungLife leader...National Honor Society...grandfather ran track at Notre Dame...father played baseball at Flagler College...intends to major in international studies.
Coach's Quote: “Garrett is probably one of the most physical catchers in the mid-Atlantic region in this year's recruiting class and we are extremely excited about the tremendous upside he possesses. Even with his 6'3 structure, Garrett does a great job of receiving behind the plate and has the arm strength needed to help slow down opposing teams' running game. Garrett's offensive ability and plus pop helped lead Freedom High School to the State Baseball Tournament last season and we were fortunate to be able to watch Garret play multiple times this summer with the Richmond Braves and the DeMarini Stars travel organizations, both of which we have had tremendous success with over the past several years. We have gotten to know Garrett really well through our camps here on post, and I truly believe that Garrett has the tools and work ethic required to develop into a top caliber catcher at the college level, and become another great addition to the long line of successful catchers that have played here at VMI.”
Seth Williams, IF/OF, Churchville Christian/Denton, Md.
Three-year letterwinner...also played for the EvoShield Canes and the Demarini Stars...intends to major in biology.
Coach's Quote: “Seth is yet another player from the DeMarini Stars travel organization that we have been fortunate enough to add to our program over the past few years. It did not take very long into the recruiting season to fall in love with Seth's swing and realize that I wanted his bat in our lineup. Seth is a player that was able to produce every time we watched him play and I was extremely impressed with how he went about his business, both on and off the field. Seth played at Riverdale Baptist School and is our first signee from the state of Maryland in over five years. His right-handed swing will play nicely in Gray-Minor Stadium and I feel that he has the chance to do some great things here at VMI.”
Josh Winder, RHP, James River/Midlothian, Va.
First-Team all-conference and second team all-region...set school record for fewest runs allowed in a season...played for father of former Keydets Mike and Sam Roberts on the Virginia Swamp Things travel team...named all-tournament at the 2014 WWBA U17 National Championship...West Point Leadership Award...AP Scholar with Honors...National Honor Society...World Language Honor Society...intends to major in economics and business.
Coach's Quote: “Josh is a young man that we have seen play on our field for over three years now with the Virginia Swamp Things travel organization. We have watched Josh develop from a clean delivery, low 80's right-handed pitcher into a physical framed 6'4 power arm with plus pitchability and makeup. He possesses a fastball that reaches the upper 80's that he can located to both sides of the plate with late action, a plus change-up that will be tough on right-hander and left-handed hitters, and has added a swing and miss breaking ball to his repertoire. Josh will come to VMI from James River high school in Midlothian which has consistently been one of the top high school baseball programs in the state of Virginia over the last ten years. We feel that with his winning mindset, strong makeup and his three-pitch mix, Josh has a great chance to be in our rotation during his time here at VMI.”
