head baseball coach Donny Harrel has announced that 19 student-athletes, ten high school seniors and nine junior college players, have signed National Letters of Intent to come to and join the new baseball program beginning in the 2009-2010 academic year.
The signing class includes 17 natives as well as a student-athlete from and an Alaskan resident who is attending . Harrel is building for the 2010 spring season, the first one for at the Division I level since 1980 and the first varsity baseball team sponsored by the school since the mid-1980s.
Three of the signees have the ability to help the team either on the mound as a pitcher or in the field as a hitter and fielder. Ricky Holm II () was 8-2 with 74 strikeouts and also batted .301 with 11 stolen bases last season at Everett Community College, Alex Kuniyoshi (Shoreline, Wash.) is a left-handed pitcher and an outfielder for Shorewood High School, and Eric Yardley (Richland, Wash.) batted .620 in the American Legion Northwest regional as his team advanced to the American Legion World Series.
“Ricky is a fiery competitor who will show you a 90 mile-per-hour pitch on the mound and strength in his bat. Alex also has very good arm strength on the mound and at the plate, while Eric is a solid skill player with great feel on the mound who will get bigger and stronger,” Harrel said.
The six pitchers signed during the early period will all transfer from area junior colleges, including two from Columbia Basin CC. Bryce Hjellum () went 5-3 with a 2.86 earned run average and 66 strikeouts last season, while Bobby Jackson (Tacoma, Wash.) finished the year 2-1 with a 3.50 earned run average and 25 strikeouts. From , Arlo Evasick () has three pitches he can throw for strikes.
“Arlo has tremendous feel on the mound with the ability to truly pitch and can beat you in many different ways,” said Harrel. “Bryce can come right in and be a leader and a dominant arm right away due to his maturity and his stuff. Bobby brings us fire in a bottle and will really push our staff due to his thirst to succeed.”
Cody Goodfellow () posted a 5-3 record with a 3.91 earned run average with 40 strikeouts at Bellevue Community College last season. Brandon Kizer (, ) has posted two straight seasons with 7-0 records and pitched in the 2008 NWAACC title game for . Conor Spink (, ) is coming off a strong fall season at after an All-State career at .
“Cody has a tremendous upside and a body that is not done growing, while can make the ball do a lot of different things and can gobble up a lot of innings,” Harrel said. “Conor is a developed pitcher who will drive hitters crazy with the ability to throw three different pitches for strikes.”
A first team All-League catcher last season, Steven Kirbach (, ) hit .479 with 14 extra-base hits and 23 runs batted in for . Josh Kutz (, ) hit .543 with four home runs and 19 runs batted in during 16 games for , earning the league batting championship. Timothy “Skip” Spencer (, ) hit .588 with 17 extra-base hits and 29 RBI for during the 2008 season.
“Steve has a tremendous work ethic and gives us a solid left-handed bat behind the plate. Josh is a very smart player and consistent in everything he does, and Skip runs very well for his size and possesses tremendous arm strength,” Harrel said.
Cullen Hendrickson () has been an All-League performer at third base for Bellarmine Prep, posting a .394 batting average with ten extra-base hits last season. Adam Johnson (, ) has shown the ability to play any of the infield positions at . Josh Kalalau ( Place, ) is primarily a shortstop at but has shown the versatility to play other positions, and Nick Latta (, ) has been a three-sport athlete at .
“Cullen has tremendous knowledge of the game and possesses defensive skill, while Adam continues to show promise with the bat to go along with his solid defense,” said Harrel. “Josh’s athleticism allows us to play him at different positions and his leadership skills will help us right away, and Nick is a dynamic defender with instincts that you just can’t teach.”
In the outfield, Michael Malland (, ) was a first team All-Region performer at last season, batting .362 with six doubles, two home runs, and 19 RBI. Joel Maltos (, ) earned 20 hits, including five doubles and a triple, for last year. Sean Narby () hit .369 with 13 extra-base hits and 25 RBI playing for the NW Timberjacks 17U team in an all-wood bat league last summer.
“Mike is a solid corner outfielder with tremendous leadership potential and strength in his bat, Joel fits in perfectly with the type of offense we are trying to create, as he can hit, bunt, steal bases, and move runners around the diamond, and Sean is a throwback player who works hard at his game and has the tools to succeed at this level right away,” Harrel said.
These 19 players will join those already enrolled at preparing to begin competition in the 2009-10 academic year. is presently in Year One of the reclassification process to move up to the NCAA Division I level.