RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team signed six players to National Letters of Intent in the early signing period, head coach Jason Stein announced on Friday. The Colonel coaching staff inked four pitchers and two outfielders to arrive on campus in the fall of 2011 and begin their EKU baseball careers in the spring of 2012.
The six signees are left-handed pitcher Nick Bozman, right-handed pitchers Cody Creamer, Cameron Langfels and Andrew Wilson, infielder/outfielder Shaun Ball and outfielder Demetrius Moorer.
“I’m extremely pleased with this year’s class,” Stein said. “It’s exactly what we needed and exactly who we wanted. All six of these players should make an immediate impact on our program. The credit for finding these talented players should go to recruiting coordinator Jerry Edwards and assistant coach John Peterson.”
Nick Bozman (6-5, 170, LHP, Huntsville, Ohio/Indian Lake)
Pitched limited innings in high school … garnered attention as a pitcher while playing for the Ohio Warhawks, an elite summer team based out of Columbus … is an Honor Roll student at Indian Lake … coached at Indian Lake by Kevin Eyink.
“Nick is a lefty with a lot of potential, whose loose arm and size projects him to throw even harder in the future,” Stein said. “He throws three pitches for strikes and he should in the mix to compete for a starting role early.”
Cody Creamer (6-2, 205, RHP, Rineyville, Ky./John Hardin)
Named the 2010 John Hardin Pitcher of the Year … as a junior, he was named first team all-area by the
News Enterprise and first team academic all-state by KHSAA …
was also named to the 17th District All-Tournament team … went 7-5 with a 1.95 ERA as junior and struck out a team-leading 84 batters in 74.2 innings of work … also batted .373 and led the Bulldogs with 10 doubles … played for Team Kentucky at the Midwest Baseball Classic in Chicago in August of 2010 … also played for the Louisville Baseball Club in the summer of 2010 … has maintained a 3.9 GPA and been named to the Honor Roll every year at JHHS … coached at JHHS by Adam Lindsey.
“Cody is a big, strong right-handed pitcher with a high ceiling,” Stein said. “He is a strike-thrower, and he should compete for a starting job early in his career as well.”
Cameron Langfels (6-5, 165, RHP, Lexington, Ky./Paul Laurence Dunbar)
Went 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA in 25.0 innings of work as a junior … struck out 22 batters and walked only nine … Attended Perfect Game Showcase in the summer of 2010 and was named a top-1,000 prospect in the country … named Paul Laurence Dunbar Pitcher of the Year as a freshman in 2008 … coached at Paul Laurence Dunbar by Larry Poynter … first cousin of Jayson Langfels, who starred at EKU from 2008-10 and was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 2010 MLB Draft.
“Cameron is a right-handed pitcher with a very high ceiling,” Stein said. “His size, loose arm and worth ethic make it so that he will also compete for a starting gig. His baseball pedigree is also very impressive as he is the cousin of Jayson Langfels, who was an All-American here at EKU.”
Andrew Wilson (6-0, 180, RHP, Festus, Mo./St. John Vianney/Heartland CC)
Went 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 16 innings of work for Heartland in the fall of 2010 … played for Festus Senior Legion Post 253 in the summer of 2009 and was the winning pitcher in the district, zone and state championship games as his team finished the season fourth in the country … as a senior at St. John Vianney, he went 8-2 with a 2.83 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 47 innings of work … coached at Heartland by Nate Metzger and at St. John Vianney by Steve Beiser.
“Andrew is one of the most polished JUCO pitchers we saw this fall,” Stein said. “He showed the ability to throw four pitches for strikes and that ability will lead him to immediately compete for a weekend spot.”
Shaun Ball (6-0, 185, INF/OF, Chattanooga, Tenn./Ridgeland/Walters State CC)
Named second team All-TCCAA in 2010 after leading Walters State with a .379 batting average … started all 48 games for the Senators and recorded 72 hits, scored 59 runs and had 16 doubles and six homers while driving in 32 runs from the leadoff spot … also carried a .568 slugging percentage, a .444 on base percentage and stole 14 bases in 15 attempts … as a high school senior, he batted .538 with five home runs, 43 RBI, 12 stolen bases and was a first team preseason all-state selection … coached at Walters State by Ken Campbell and at Ridgeland by Scott Harden … transferred to Walters State from Kennesaw State.
“Shaun comes to us after playing two years at Walters State Community College, which is a powerhouse baseball program at the JUCO level,” Stein said. “He is a very versatile athlete who can play the outfield or the infield. He runs well, and his left-handed bat will help us at the top of our lineup.”
Demetrius Moorer (5-8, 160, OF, Homestead, Fla./South Dade)
Batted .400 as a junior with 23 runs scored and a .508 on-base percentage … clocked at 6.6 in the 60 … coached at South Dade by Fred Burnside … also a standout wide receiver/defensive back on the South Dade football team.
“Demetrius is a talented outfielder who can play all three spots,” Stein said. “His best tool is his speed, and because he can handle the bat and has a great feel for the short game, we feel he could be at the top of our lineup someday.”
The EKU baseball team opens the 2011 campaign on Feb. 18 with a three-game series with Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif.
