Nov. 18, 2015 RUSTON, La. - Louisiana Tech head coach Greg Goff and the Bulldog Baseball team welcomed 10 newcomers to the family in the early signing period, which began last Wednesday, including seven high school players and three junior college transfers.
After a transfer-heavy class a year ago, Goff and his staff targeted mostly high schoolers heading into their second season in Ruston. In total, the Bulldogs have added seven pitchers (five right-handers and two lefties) and three position players, all of which will enroll at LA Tech and take the field next fall.
"I am incredibly thankful for the work our coaching staff put into this recruiting class in order for us to get quality young men to represent Louisiana Tech in the right way," Goff said. "We were intent on finding the kind of student-athletes it takes to be competitive in Conference USA. We are excited to have these guys on board to help us build something special here in Ruston."
The Bulldogs will add three guys each from both Louisiana and Texas with two players hailing from Mississippi and one each from Arizona and Tennessee.
Tech will add some in-state talent to its roster in 2017 with local prep star Justin Skeesick (Shreveport, La./Captain Shreve) as well as the addition of J.T. Migues (New Iberia, La./Catholic HS) and Kyle Griffen (Sulphur, La./Sulphur HS).
Skeesick is expected to graduate from Captain Shreve High School and comes to Tech as an infielder after earning all-district, all-city and all-state honors over the course of the past three years for the Gators. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Skeesick helped lead Captain Shreve to a District 1-5A Championship as a freshman and guided Calvary Baptist to a state title as an eighth grader prior to becoming a Gator.
Griffen, a left-handed pitcher, comes to Ruston from the southern half of the state after starring on the mound for Sulphur High School during his high school career. Last season as a junior, Griffen was a perfect 10-0 on the mound with a 1.50 ERA on his way to earning all-district and all-state honors, while he helped guide the Tors to a 35-win season and semifinals appearance as a junior.
Migues is a native of New Iberia and hails from Catholic High School where he posted a 1.60 ERA as a right-hander for the Panthers. He went 4-2 on the mound, while also hitting .320 at the dish as a third baseman for Catholic High. He earned first team all-district honors last season and led the Panthers to a Class 2A state title game as a sophomore.
The Bulldogs also signed a trio of Texas players with Parker Bates (Tyler, Texas/Robert E. Lee HS), Tyler Follis (Sulphur Springs, Texas/Sulphur Springs HS) and Brandon Talley (Princeton, Texas/Princeton HS) all set to join LA Tech next fall.
Bates is a left-handed hitting outfielder who signed on to be a Bulldog after bursting onto the scene as a sophomore at Robert E. Lee High School. He earned Newcomer of the Year honors following his sophomore season after hitting .425 with 27 runs scored. As a junior, Bates earned all-district honors after he helped guide the Red Raiders to their 14th straight playoff appearance with a .342 clip, 19 RBI's and a .432 on base percentage.
Follis will graduate from Sulphur Springs High School in 2016 and come to Tech as a right-hander who went 13-3 on the mound in 2015 as a junior. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound pitcher recorded a 1.37 ERA and struck out 97 batters in 98 innings last season on his way to being named the 2015 District 15-5A Pitcher of the Year.
Tally is a left-hander from Princeton, Texas, and is fresh off a junior season where he was named MVP and Pitcher of the Year on his way to earning all-state honors. He earned first team all-district honors as a sophomore and was listed on Texas High School Baseball's Top 40 players to watch entering his junior campaign.
The final high schooler the Bulldogs added to the class is Logan Carey, who hails from Jackson, Tennessee, where he is an outfielder for the University School of Jackson. As a junior, he posted a .451 average with 17 doubles, five triples and two long balls while knocking in 35 RBI's. He earned a handful of awards after his performance on the diamond with all-region and all-state honors following the season.
LA Tech will also welcome a trio of right-handed pitchers from junior colleges with the addition of Austin Harrison (Philadelphia, Miss./Meridian CC), Kent Hasler (Chandler, Ariz./Mesa CC) and Timothy Jordan (Laurel, Miss./Hinds CC).
Harrison is coming off his freshman season at Meridian Community College where he saw action in 50.2 innings and struck out 31 with a 5-2 overall record with two complete games. He posted a 2.68 ERA with an average of 5.51 strikeouts per nine innings to earn MACJC Second Team All-State.
Hasler, a right-hander from Chandler, Arizona, is coming off his freshman season at Mesa Community College where he struck out 80 batters in 78 innings on the mound with an average of 9.23 strikeouts per nine innings. A former standout at Hamilton High School, Hasler posted a 3.35 ERA and three wins for the Thunderbirds in 2015.
Jordan comes to Tech from Hinds Community College after going 3-0 on the mound as a freshman for the Eagles. In seven appearances, he totaled 10.2 innings pitched and posted a .506 ERA with seven strikeouts. Jordan prepped at West Jones High School in his hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, where he posted a 2.00 ERA and struck out 86 batters in 76 innings as a senior.
The Bulldogs are currently anticipating the start of the 2016 campaign, which is set to begin Feb. 19 with Tech competing against three other teams in the MLB Urban Youth Invitational in New Orleans.
For complete coverage of Bulldog Baseball, please follow @LATechBSB on Twitter or visit the official home of Louisiana Tech Athletics at LATechSports.com.
---
Parker Bates, OF, 6-1, 180, R/L
Tyler, Texas (Robert E. Lee High School)
High School: Expected to graduate from Robert E. Lee High School in 2016 … Named the 2014 All-East Texas Newcomer of the Year and the 2014 District 12-5A Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore outfielder … Earned First Team All-District 11-6A as a junior for the Red Raiders … As a sophomore, he led the team with a .425 average with 27 runs scored … Helped lead Robert E. Lee to its 14th straight playoff appearance as a junior after hitting .342 with 19 RBI's and a .432 on base percentage.
Logan Carey, OF, 5-10, 180, R/L
Jackson, Tenn. (University School of Jackson)
High School: Expected to graduate from University School of Jackson in 2016 … Hit .451 at the plate with a 17 doubles, five triples and two home runs for a .721 slugging percentage as a junior … Scored 49 runs while driving in 35 RBI's … Successfully stole 22 bases … Named All-State, All-Region and First Team All-West Tennessee … Member of the 2012 and 2014 state championship teams … Started in centerfield for the 2014 season.
Tyler Follis, RHP, 6-4, 190, R/R
Sulphur Springs, Texas (Sulphur Springs HS)
High School: Expected to graduate Sulphur Springs High School in 2016 … Was 13-3 on the mound as a junior, including throwing a no-hitter in the playoffs … Posted a 1.37 ERA and struck out 97 batters he faced in 98 innings pitched as a junior … Named 2014 District 15-5A Sophomore of the Year and All-East Texas … Also earned 2015 District 15-5A Pitcher of the Year honors … Coached by Jerrod Hammack, who played baseball with Greg Goff at Delta State.
Kyle Griffen, LHP/OF, 5-10, 155, L/L
Sulphur, La. (Sulphur HS)
High School: Expected to graduate from Sulphur High School in 2016 … Posted a 10-0 record on the mound with a 1.50 ERA and 54 strikeouts … Hit .273 with eight RBI's, 23 runs and 12 stolen bases as an outfielder for the Tors … Named All-District 3-5A, All-Southwest Louisiana and Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association Class 5A All-State … Helped lead Sulphur to the Class 5A semifinals and a 35-win season as a junior in 2015.
Austin Harrison, RHP, Sophomore, 6-3, 210, R/R
Philadelphia, Miss. (Meridian CC) (Neshoba Central HS)
2015 (Meridian CC): Posted a 5-2 record in his freshman season on the mound for Meridian … Totaled 50.2 innings pitched and struck out 31 batters he faced while walking just 13 on the year … Posted a 2.68 ERA, with an average of 5.51 strikeouts per nine innings … Tossed two complete games … Named MACJC Second Team All-State as a freshman.
High School: Graduated from Neshoba Central High School in 2014 where he was named first team all-state by the Mississippi Association of Coaches as a senior … went 7-2 on the mound with a 1.80 ERA … Hit .333 at the dish as a senior at Neshoba Central.
Kent Hasler, RHP, Sophomore, 5-11, 190, R/R
Chandler, Ariz. (Mesa CC) (Hamilton HS)
2015 (Mesa CC): Appeared in 15 games with 12 starts on the mound in his first season at Mesa … Posted a 3-6 record with a 3.35 ERA in 78 innings pitched with one complete game … Struck out 80 batters he faced and walked just 21 with an average of 9.23 strikeouts per nine innings.
High School: Named first team all-state as a senior and second team in his junior year … Also earned first team all-division honors for Coach Mike Woods … Set the school record for ERA (1.94) in his junior year and then broke it the following season (1.48 ERA) … Went 6-1 that year, striking out 75 in 66 innings … A member of the National Honor Society and graduated with high honors as a Distinguished Scholar.
Timothy Jordan, RHP, Sophomore, 6-3, 195, R/R
Laurel, Miss. (Hinds CC) (West Jones High School)
2015 (Hinds CC): Posted a 3-0 record in seven appearances on the mound in his first season as a right-hander at Hinds … Saw action in 10.2 innings pitched and posted a 5.06 ERA with seven strikeouts.
High School: Posted an even 2.00 ERA in 76 innings pitched at West Jones High School in Laurel, Mississippi … Struck out 86 batters he faced … Graduated in 2014.
J.T. Migues, RHP, 5-10, 175, R/R
New Iberia, La. (Catholic HS)
High School: Scheduled to graduate from Catholic High in 2016 … Went 4-2 with a 1.60 ERA as a junior … Earned first team All-District 5-2A honors as a utility player … Hit .320 at the plate in district play as a third baseman … Helped lead the Panthers to a Class 2A state title game as a sophomore … Played travel ball for the New Iberia Legends … Closed out the semifinal game against Opelousas Catholic to clinch Catholic's appearance in the state title game … Only allowed seven hits against him as a junior pitcher for the Panthers.
Justin Skeesick, INF, 6-2, 205, R/R
Shreveport, La. (Captain Shreve HS)
High School: Expected to graduate from Captain Shreve in 2016 … Started playing high school baseball as a seventh grader and helped guide Calvary Baptist to a District 1-2A state runner-up title in 2011 before winning the state championship in 2012 at J.C. Love Field … Moved to Captain Shreve as a freshman and helped lead the Gators to a District 1-5A Championship … Earned all-district honors in each of the past three years, as well as all-city honors twice and all-state honors once … Has accumulated a .314 batting average with seven home runs, 106 runs scored and 69 RBI's as a Gator … Primarily has been used as a corner infielder.
Brandon Talley, INF/LHP, 6-3, 205, L/L
Princeton, Texas (Princeton HS)
High School: Expected to graduate in 2016 … Earned first team all-district honors as a sophomore before returning as a junior to earn first team all-state … Four-year starter as both an infielder and left-handed pitcher … Listed on Texas High School Baseball's Top 40 players to watch as a sophomore … Earned the Offensive Player of the Year honor as sophomore and named MVP and Pitcher of the Year as junior at Princeton High School.
