July 1, 2010

Carson-Newman Signs 12 for 2011 Baseball Season

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The Carson-Newman baseball program has signed 12 student-athletes for the 2011 season, Eagles head coach Tom Griffin announced Thursday.

Junior college transfers Alex Britt (Salisbury, N.C.), Lance Rorex (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Troy Zawadzki (Boston, Mass.) and Trevor Schock (Raleigh, N.C.) join high school standouts Tyler Cuming (Middletown, N.J.), Ryan Hanks (Raleigh, N.C.), Evan Jurjevic (New Carlisle, Ind.), Evan Kirkpatrick (Jefferson City, Tenn.), Zak Mercurio (Loxahatchee, Fla.), Jackson Oster (Greeneville, Tenn.), Trace Rogers (Simpsonville, S.C.) and Brandon Timmerman (Seymour, Tenn.) to make up the Eagles' 2010 signing class.

Britt, a right-handed pitcher, comes to C-N after playing last season at Guilford Tech Community College in Jamestown, N.C. He compiled a 5-2 record with 52 strikeouts and just 12 walks in 42 innings pitched as a senior.

"He is a strong kid who has pitched in our league before and was pretty successful," Griffin said of Britt. "He is capable of solidifying our weekend rotation."

Rorex played second base for Cleveland State Community College in Cleveland, Tenn., last season and had a stellar campaign as he batted .354 with 38 runs scored and 14 stolen bases.

"His style of playing fits our system well," Griffin said. "Lance is a very athletic and energetic player who is well schooled in the game."

Zawadzki, who played alongside Rorex at shortstop at Cleveland State, had a .292 batting average with 36 runs scored and nine stolen bases in 2010.

"Zawadzki is an outstanding defensive player who will bring experience to our infield," Griffin offered. "He has the tools to be an outstanding player in our league."

Schock comes to C-N after batting .394 with three home runs and 20 RBIs as an outfielder for Lenoir Community College in Kinston, N.C., last season.

"He is a strong kid who played sparingly this past spring," Griffin said. "He has the size and natural strength to be a power type hitter."

Cuming, a right-handed pitcher, compiled a 2-2 record for Christian Brothers High School in Lincroft, N.C., last season. He was also a part of Christian Brothers' state championship team in 2009.

"Cuming played for an outstanding high school program," Griffin said. "He was limited in throwing due to an injury this spring but he performed well in the summer with the New Jersey Twins."

Hanks, who was a standout at Millbrook High School in Raleigh, N.C., will be an asset to the Eagles in either the infield or outfield. He batted .378 with 31 runs scored and 16 stolen bases to earn All-Conference honors at Millbrook as a senior.

"He played for former Millbrook coach and new C-N pitching coach Brad Schrock and leaves the program with the record for most stolen bases," Griffin said."He's a very athletic player who played shortstop but is capable of playing many infield or outfield positions."

Jurjevic had a stellar senior campaign at La Porte High School in La Porte, Ind., where he helped lead the team to a 27-4 record and a ranking as high as No. 22 nationally in the USA Today poll. As a senior infielder, Jurjevic had a batting average of .431 with 29 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .608.

"He's a very athletic player who has a lot of potential offensively," Griffin said of Jurjevic. "He can play several infield positions for us."

Kirkpatrick, who can play in the outfield and pitch, joins the Eagles after earning All-Conference honors as a senior at Jefferson County High School in Dandridge, Tenn., in 2010. He finished the year with a batting average of .423 with 29 RBIs. He also compiled a 3-2 record with 28 strikeouts on the mound.

"Kirkpatrick is a two-way player who had a great year this past spring," Griffin said. "He had a good work ethic and is a very coachable player."

Mercurio, a middle infielder, played at Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville, Fla., where he was an All-County and Dick Howser All-Star game selection. He batted .365 with 10 stolen bases last season.

"Mercurio is a good all-around player who can play either middle infield position," Griffin said. "He helps our depth right away in the middle."

Oster, a right-handed pitcher from South Greene High School in Greeneville, Tenn., compiled a 3-2 record with 44 strikeouts in 46 innings pitched last season.

"He pitched in our fall league, and we liked his arm action and potential on the mound," Griffin said.

Rogers, who is the brother of former Eagle shortstop Mills Rogers, is an infielder from Hillcrest High School in Simpsonville, S.C. He hit at a .442 clip with 10 doubles and 25 RBIs as a senior to garner All-Region honors and was a selection for the state All-Star game.

"He is a very tough, hard-nosed player who knows us very well," Griffin said. "He played for former Eagle Dru Mahony and should make an easy transition to our program."

Timmerman, a right-handed pitcher, had a solid senior season at Seymour High School in Seymour, Tenn. He earned All-District honors after going 6-4 with a 2.81 earned run average and 48 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched.

"Timmerman has a three-quarter arm action with good run of his fastball," Griffin said. "He could come in and solidify the bullpen in his first year with us."

The signees will join a C-N squad that finished the 2010 season with a 31-18 record and a 15-9 mark in South Atlantic Conference play.