SEATTLE — Seattle U baseball head coach Donny Harrel and his staff signed four players during the fall signing period for the 2021 season.
"We are excited with the group of young men we were able to sign," said Coach Harrel. "Greg (Goetz) and Wes (Long) put in a lot of time out on the road, to make sure we made the right decisions since this is a smaller class. We won't lose much after this season, since we only graduate six seniors. Staying in state is a big deal to us, so we were fortunate to fill our needs right in our backyard. We feel good about where we currently stand."
This year's class, while small, is packed with a lot of talent and potential as it features two right-handed pitchers as well as an infielder and outfielder. The Redhawks also have verbal commitments from two walk-ons, more information regarding each of them will follow in the near future.
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Kellen Carr • INF • R-R • 5-10 • Seattle, Wash. /// A dual-athlete varsity letterwinner at Seattle Prep HS, Carr enters his fourth season as a member of the Panthers' baseball team. Carr posted a .365 batting averaging as a sophomore in 2018, before hitting .380 during his junior campaign with a .458 on-base percentage, which resulted in back-to-back team MVP accolades. The Seattle native is also a former member of the varsity golf team and currently part of the National Honor Society. Carr's father Mike played men's soccer for Seattle U from 1976-80.
Harrel: "Kellen has been around the program since he was a kid. Watching him progress has been a true pleasure. We told him a year ago that he needed to improve his speed and quickness to be able to truly compete at this level and he worked his tail off to get it done. Carr has the tool that we cannot teach – instincts – so we look forward to bringing that attribute into our defense."
Long: "Carr is a high-level instinctive player. He has tremendous lateral range in the field and holds runners as well as any at the shortstop position that I've ever seen. As a baserunner, he can reach top-end speed in a couple steps and runs the bases like his hair is on fire. I believe he has a chance to be an impact player right away."
Nestor German • RHP • 6-2 • Seattle, Wash. /// A three-time letterwinner at Chief Seattle International HS, German has helped the Seahawks to postseason appearances in 2017 and 2019. The native of Federal Way, Washington appears primarily on the mound but also capable of manning the first or third base. German has garnered several awards including back-to-back team MVP honors in 2018 and 2019.
Harrel: "Nestor simply just pitches. For his age, to have the command he does with three pitches is very impressive. He's soft spoken, but turns into a different beast when he toes the rubber. At 6-foot-2 and 215 lbs, German has the body type that can carry a lot of inning for us during his career here and the mentality to make the quick jump to Division l baseball." Goetz: "Nestor is a winner. He is a high pitchability arm that just goes out and wins. We love the blue-collar-grinder work ethic he has that is infectious to his teammates. Nestor will be an impact for us from the time he steps foot on campus."
Bryan Falk • OF • R-R • 6-0 • Sumner, Wash. /// Falk is a multiple letterwinner at Sumner HS in baseball and football. On the diamond, the six-footer is a consistent threat in the batter's box with 50 combined hits in his last two seasons. As sophomore in 2018, Falk was a second team all-state selection after notching a .460 batting averaging with 29 hits 17 RBI and a .777 on-base percentage. The following season he had 21 hits and 19 runs with a .344 average, while slugging .540.
Harrel: "Bryan could end up being a special player here. He has a football make-up in a baseball body. It will be fun to see how quickly he develops into a "middle of the order" type hitter, because he has a chance to do some real damage with the bat and drive in a lot of runs for us."
Long: "Bryan has the chance to be a big-time stick for us. He's an aggressive hitter, that knows how to get on time for the fastball. His bat stays in the zone for a long time leading to lots of balls in the gap. Bryan has a great baseball build, lean with strong hands, and is already physically prepared for college. One thing that really jumps out is that he's a throwback type player with a blue-collar mentality. He plays hard all the time and wants to win. Bryan also has a strong accurate arm from right field."
Riley Sinclair • RHP • 6-4 • Camas, Wash. /// A three-time letterwinner at Camas HS, Sinclair led his team to the state regionals as a junior in 2019. Standing at 6-foot-4, the right-handed hurler has been regarded plenty of praise as one of the top arms in the area, as he was ranked ninth among 2020 Northwest pitchers by Perfect Game USA and the 20th-overall player in the state by MaxPreps.
Harrel: "Riley jacks me up! This guy has a big upside and made some really nice improvements by the end of the summer. I played against his dad back in high school, so I know the bloodline is very competitive and it comes with a big work ethic. Riley makes us better right away and has a great opportunity to pitch after college if he stays on track with his progression."
Goetz: "Riley is the prototypical frame and build that we look for in a pitcher. He has a very high ceiling and has already shown how coachable he is with the strides he has made in the past few years. As he progresses and develops, Riley should be one of the top arms in the conference."