Baseball Announces 12 Signees to 2006 Class
November 16, 2004 | Baseball
Chris Buss, Josh Dowdy, Brandon Henderson, Michael Hill, Kyle Mussleman, Matt Olson, Drew Schieber and Ryan Wood are the eight high school players that have signed to play baseball at ECU in 2006. The junior college transfers include Kyle Bonvechio, Jake Dean, Andrew Fritz and Ryan Tousley.
"We are excited about these 12 student-athletes committing to further their careers at East Carolina," Head Baseball Coach Randy Mazey said. "Not only are they tremendous athletes, they are exceptional students in the classroom. This class will continue to build on the past tradition of ECU baseball and further our goal of going to Omaha."
Buss, a shortstop from Rosemount, Minn., was an all-conference, all-region player as well as a Triple Crown winner as a junior. He was invited to participate in the AFLAC All-American Game and was a participant in the Goodwill Games. Buss led his team to a Continental Amatuer Baseball World Championship last year. He was also named the top prospect by Baseball America for the state of Minnesota.
Dowdy, a right-handed pitcher from Raleigh, N.C., was an all-state and all-conference performer his junior year at Wakefield High School. He also set the school earned run average record with a clip of 1.26 and struck out 69 batters in 62 innings of work. He was named area player-of-the-year, conference player-of-the-year and he also played in the East Coast Professional Showcase.
Henderson, an outfielder from Alpharetta, Ga., led Milton High School to a class 5A state championship in 2004. He is a three-year letterman at Milton, an all-region performer as a sophomore and as a junior and was named MVP for the East Cobb Astros his sophomore year. The Astros won the AAU National Championship, the CABA National Championship, and the Super Seven Championship. Henderson was an all-tournament selection in all three of these titles. Last summer, Henderson played for the East Cobb Yankees.
Hill, a right-handed pitcher from Proctorville, Ohio, was named to the All-Southeast District team his junior year. He was an All-Ohio Valley Conference performer in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Last season, Hill tossed 46 innings with 84 strikeouts and compiled an ERA of 1.52. He also hit for an average of .460 last year. Last summer, Hill was selected to play in the Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif.
Musselman, a right-handed pitcher from Wilmington, N.C., earned 2004 team MVP honors as a junior at John T. Hoggard High School. He earned all-conference honors along with being named conference player of the year and the Wilmington Star Player-of-the-Year. He compiled a record of 11-1 with an ERA of 1.34 with 108 strikeouts and 32 walks in 82.1 innings pitched. Musselman also participated in the East Coast Professional Showcase.
Olson, a right-handed pitcher from Chesapeake, Va., was the winning pitcher in the state championship game throwing a complete game for Western Branch HS. He was named team MVP, first-team all-district, and first team all-region compiling a record of 10-0 with three saves, 61.1 innings pitched, 73 strikeouts and an earned run average of 2.05. He also batted .462 with 36 hits in 78 plate appearances. Olson played in the Virginia Commonwealth games during the summer and was invited to play on Team One South in the East Coast Pro Showcase. He made an appearance in the AFLAC Classic where he struck out five batters in two innings.
Schieber, a shortstop from Blue Springs, Mo., was a three-year letterman at Blue Springs High School and was an all-conference player. He was also two-time offensive player of the year and was invited to play in the Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif. Along with his accomplishments on the field, Schieber was a three-year academic letterman with a 3.98 cumulative grade-point average.
Wood, a combination pitcher/shortstop from Woodbridge, Va., was an all-district performer at C.D. Hylton High School. Along with his all-district honors, Wood was also named to the Virginia All-State team. He was the Perfect Game Top Prospect at the Southeast Top Prospect Showcase and also played in the East Coast Professional Showcase. His summer league team, the Virginia Barnstormers, were the Mickey Mantle Regional Champs and the National Amatuer Baseball Federation Regional Champs.
Bonvechio, a shortstop, is another junior college transfer from San Jose (Calif.) City College. During his freshman year at San Jose CC, he hit .332 with six home runs and 12 doubles. His senior year in high school he was a second team all-state selection and the High School Male Athlete of the Year, despite only playing half of the year due to jaw surgery. As a junior, he was named MVP of the Blossom Valley League and was a first team all-state choice.
Dean, a third baseman, was named first team all-city, first team all-region, and a first team all-state selection his senior year in high school in Missouri. He batted .574 and was the state's Wendy's Heisman Award winner. Last year at Kansas City Kansas Community College, Dean was named first team all-conference, batting .351 with 10 home runs, 50 RBI, and 11 doubles.
Fritz, a junior college transfer from Young Harris (Ga.) College, hit .286 with eight home runs and 13 doubles in 2004 as a starting catcher. He was named all-region and the state defensive player-of-the-year. This fall he hit .471 with six home runs and 27 RBI in 16 games. He was a two time all-district performer, hitting .390 during his senior year of high school.
Tousley, a combination pitcher/outfielder from Des Moines, Iowa, is a junior college transfer from Johnson County (Kan.) Community College. During his senior year in high school, Tousley was named Iowa High School Baseball Player of the Year and led his team to a state championship. Tousley hit .420, with six doubles and seven home runs his freshman year in junior college while compiling a earned run average of 3.20 in 62 innings of work with 51 strikeouts and 14 walks.
"Allen (Osborne) and Tommy (Eason) have done a great job at taking our recruiting efforts to a higher level," said Mazey.
East Carolina Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Allen Osborne comments on all 12 signees:
On Chris Buss
"Was one of the best infielders I saw while recruiting this summer. We expect great things from Chris."
On Josh Dowdy
"A tremendous student who really competes on the mound. Josh will be a great asset to our program."
On Brandon Henderson
"Brandon has a chance to hit the long ball. He is a very good defensive outfielder as well."
On Michael Hill
"A three-sport star at Fairland HS. A super athlete who can pitch as well as play in the outfield and in the infield. We want Michael to pitch right away for us."
On Kyle Mussleman
"A very good pitcher who competes on the mound who will be a strikeout pitcher for us."
On Matt Olson
"He is a very highly-touted right handed pitcher. Matt is a strong, hard-throwing pitcher we expect to make a difference for us as a freshman."
On Drew Schieber
"A baseball player. He is very smooth defensively and very athletic. We are excited to have Drew."
On Ryan Wood
"A tremendous athlete who we expect to excel on the mound early in his career. Ryan is also a super infielder."
On Kyle Bonvechio
"Probably the best JUCO hitter in Northern California. Look for Kyle to do super things at East Carolina."
On Jake Dean
"A strong long-ball threat. A catcher in high school turned third baseman. Jake can really hit and plays the "Pirate way."
On Andrew Fritz
"Andrew is really good behind the plate. He can hit the long ball as well as for average."
On Ryan Tousley
"Ryan is a definite two-way player. He is a strikeout pitcher and can hit. He is going to be very good as a Pirate."
