SEATTLE — Head coach Donny Harrel of Seattle U baseball and his staff announced are pleased to announce the additions of three position players for the 2021 season. The trio of incoming faces includes freshmen Derek Gellos and Andrew Haight as well as transfer Shane Jamison.
"I am extremely excited to get these guys on field," said Harrel. "Coach Wes Long did a great job in securing athletics who will create competition within the team. This recruiting class makes us very athletic and gives us great depth in every position."
Derek Gellos • UTL • L/R • Bellevue, Wash. /// A three-year varsity letterwinner at nearby Issaquah HS, Gellos helped his team to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2018 and 2019 with a combined record of 34-19 during that two-season stretch. The versatile infielder has also garnered consecutive All-KingCo honorable mentions, tabbed as utility selection after his sophomore campaign before being picked at third base following his junior year.
Long: "Derek is a versatile infielder with a lot of twitch. I'm most excited about his hit ability. He knows how to find the barrel. I think he's going to be able to play a number of positions, and his bat can make an impact right away"
Andrew Haight • C • R/R • Monroe, Wash. /// The three-time letterwinner at Monroe HS helped the Bearcats to a state playoff appearance as a junior in 2019, finishing the year as the team's RBI leader with 16. Haight has earned several individual accolades including First Team All-Wesco in 2019 and Perfect Game Preseason All-American honors in 2020. The incoming freshman was Perfect Game's Top 50 overall players in Washington state for the 2020 recruiting class and fourth among catchers, while Prep Baseball Report has him tabbed third among catchers from the Evergreen State.
Long: "Andrew is one of the best 2020 catchers in the Pacific Northwest, and he has room to continue to develop. He has great instincts behind the plate, soft hands and a strong arm. At the plate, he has short compact swing and knows how to get the ball up in the air. He's going to be a great player for the Redhawks by the time his career is done."
Shane Jamison • INF • Lummi Island, Wash. /// Jamison is a transfer from Lower Columbia College, after appearing in 58 games for the Red Devils. In 2019, his one full season, Jamison batted .339 with 39 RBI and 24 runs, while slugging .480 in 177 at-bats. He finished his Red Devil career hitting .329, slugging .465, with 27 runs, 47 RBI and 12 strikeouts in a 213 total at-bats. Jamison helped LCC win the 2019 Northwest Athletic Conference title after posting a 40-9 record and earning First Team All-West Region honors. Jamison was a four-year letterwinner at Sehome HS, helping to lead the Mariners to four-straight district playoff appearances. He garnered first-team all-state as a senior, after hauling in three-consecutive all-conference awards, including back-to-back first team honors in 2017 and 2018. During his last two seasons, Jamison hit .430 as a junior and .410 during his senior year while serving as team captain.
Long: "Shane has a strong track record of getting the barrel on the ball. He has the ability to play a couple different positions for us, but I'm most excited about his hit ability. He was a major contributor on a championship club at Lower Columbia, and I think he's going to have the ability to contribute right away for us."
Gellos, Haight and Jamison join the likes of Kellen Carr and Bryan Falk who both signed with the Redhawks last fall. As part of the '21 lineup, the Redhawks welcome back 10 players that started eight or more games during the shortened 2020 campaign, including Connor O'Brien, Kyle Sherick, Justin Mazzone, Julian Kodama, and Austin Lively. Together this group hit .294 and accounted for 34 of 77 runs batted-in.
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