During the November period for signing National Letters of Intent, the Seattle University baseball program signed three student-athletes to join the Redhawks starting in the 2015-16 academic year.
Max Modeste (Roseville, Calif.) is a 6’2”, 200-pound outfielder who has shown significant improvement at Roseville High School. After batting .280 with two home runs during his freshman season, Modeste hit .314 with three home runs in his sophomore season, earning first team all-league honors. A consistent varsity starter with a high GPA, he chose Seattle U over several California schools such as UCLA, UC Irvine, Fresno State, and California.
"Max was a highly sought after individual this summer. He brings true power to this signing class. His tools project at the professional level, and we are ecstatic to be able to plug him in the middle of our lineup. Max's character and makeup do not come around very often, which will give him the opportunity to lead immediately," Seattle U assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Elliott Cribby said.
Jeffrey Morgan (Auburn, Wash.) is a 6’1”, 190-pound outfielder currently attending Auburn Mountainview High School. During the 2013 season, he hit .414 with a 1.031 OPS and 21 RBI, followed by a .378 batting average in 2014 with two home runs, 23 runs batted in, and 21 stolen bases. A two-time first team all-league and All-Tacoma News Tribune honoree, Morgan added a first team all-area award last season.
"Jeffrey is a very versatile athlete. We see him playing in centerfield with the range he creates from his instincts and aggressive mentality. He brings a blend of power and speed that plays on both sides of the ball. His work ethic and aptitude is contagious with his teammates. We are excited about his future as a Redhawk,” said Cribby.
Zach Wolf (Dana Hills, Calif.) is a 5’10”, 165-pound varsity athlete who has seen time at both pitcher and third base at Dana Hills High School. Last season at the plate, he put together a 16-game hitting streak as he batted .330 with 20 runs scored and 16 runs batted in. The all-league selection also went 4-1 on the mound with a 2.44 earned run average, helping his team win the league title and advance to the CIF quarterfinals.
"We jumped on the opportunity to sign this tremendous student-athlete late in the recruiting process. Zach was up to 92 mph with a very good breaking ball a few weeks ago, which is rare to see this late into the fall. His best days are certainly ahead of him as he just turned 17 years old last week. The intangibles he presents both on and off the field will give him an opportunity to step in and compete right away for us. Zach has a bright future ahead of him,” said Cribby.
With just six seniors on the 2014-15 Seattle U baseball squad, the coaching staff did not need to fill a lot of holes with this year’s signing class.
“Coach Cribby did an excellent job as our recruiting coordinator to fill our immediate needs for next fall. Since we do not graduate a lot of players, our recruiting class is small, but we have once again upgraded with very talented young men. Max has one of the sweetest swings we have ever signed and fills a corner outfield vacancy right away and should hit in the middle of our lineup. Jeffery has the ability to come in as well and play the other corner outfield position while becoming a ‘pressure player’ for us with his combination of speed on the base paths and power at the plate. Zach provides our depth on the right side of the rubber and we beat out some quality schools to get him.” Seattle U head baseball coach Donny Harrel said.
The Seattle University baseball team is coming off a 26-win season in 2014, including a 13-11 record within the Western Athletic Conference that qualified the squad for last year’s WAC Baseball Tournament. The Redhawks are scheduled to open the 2015 season with a four-game series against Saint Mary’s College Feb. 13-15 at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue, Wash.