RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky University head baseball coach Jason Stein has announced the signing of six student-athletes who will play ball for the Colonels in 2010. The class is heavy on pitchers and features three high school players and three junior college transfers. It is Stein’s first ever recruiting class at EKU.
“Many of our recruiting goals have been achieved by adding quality arms to our pitching staff and a couple of left-handed hitters to our lineup,” Stein said. “This recruiting class is a great foundation for what we want to do here in the years to come.”
Anthony Bazzani, out of Heritage High School in Conyers, Ga., is a 6’4 right-hander who, as a junior, compiled a record of 9-2 to go along with a 0.92 ERA. As a sophomore, he went 8-2 with a 1.71 ERA. Bazzani is also battled tested, as he has pitched in the state playoffs all three years of high school. His performance on the mound helped lead Heritage High to a state runner-up finish in 2007 and three consecutive AAAA region titles. Bazzani is coached in high school by Casey Teal, and he is the son of Tony and Lori Bazzani.
Kyle England, from Carlisle, Ohio, is a 6’5 right-hander who is a standout pitcher and outfielder at Carlisle High School. As a sophomore, he hit .504, smacked seven home runs and drove in 42 runs. He also compiled a 7-2 record on the mound. As a junior, England hit .494 and led the team with seven home runs and the area with 53 RBI, a single-season Carlisle record. He also went 7-1 on the mound with a team-best 1.75 ERA. His performance as a junior earned him team MVP hon
ors and the Middletown Journal’s Area Pitcher of the Year Award. England’s high school coach is Brad Sizemore. He is the son of Steven and Melissa England, and the great-great-great nephew of Earle Combs Jr.
Stephen Hefler is a 6’6 right-hander from Kaskaskia Junior College in Centralia, Ill. He posted a 5-2 record in 2008 with a 3.33 ERA for Kaskaskia coach Mitch Koester and was named first team All-Lincoln Trail Conference. As a high school senior at Princeville High School in Princeville, Ill., Hefler went 9-1 with a 1.36 ERA while also compiling a .529 batting average on his way to being named All-State by the Illinois Coaches Association. Hefler was coached in high school by Erik Walles. He is the son of Greg and Sue Hefler.
Bryce Labhart is a 6’0 second baseman/outfielder who comes to EKU from Olney Central Junior College in Richland, Ill. While at Olney Central, Labhart batted .435 (.563 with runners in scoring position), drove in 33 runs, stole 14 bases and scored 34 runs for coach Dennis Conley. He also compiled a .575 slugging percentage on his way to being named GRAC All-Conference and GRAC Freshman of the Year. As a senior at Castle High School in Newburgh, Ind., Labhart hit .455 and led the state with 52 runs scored. He was named all-conference, all-metro and his team’s MVP. Labhart’s high school coach was Curt Welch. He is the son of Dan and Vicki Labhart.
Ryne Purcell also arrives in Richmond from Kaskaskia Junior College, where he was teammates with Hefler under coach Mitch Koester. Purcell, a 5-11 right-hander, was a standout pitcher at Vincennes Lincoln High School in Vincennes, Ind., where, as a senior, he went 6-1 and tossed a no-hitter in a sectional game. Purcell was coached in high school by Brandon Pfoff. He is the son of Doug and Sheila Purcell.
Matthew Zompero, out of Lakota East High School in Cincinnati, is a 6’1 left-handed pitcher/outfielder who, as a junior, went 5-1 with a 0.94 ERA for head coach Ray Hamilton while striking out 32 batters in only 23 innings of work. He also batted .298 with 28 RBI. Zompero is the son of Joseph Zompero and Dawn Hake.
“The class is a good mix, as we are adding three junior college players and three high school players,” Stein said. “Assistant coaches Jerry Edwards and Cory Whitby worked extremely hard in a short amount of time to get these quality players and they deserve a lot of credit. We expect all six of these student-athletes to be major contributors to our program in the near future.”
