North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Baseball Announces 2003-04 Recruiting Class
8/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Aug. 19, 2003
RALEIGH, N.C. - Building on the momentum of the program's most successful season in 35 years, NC State baseball coach Elliott Avent has welcomed a 16-man recruiting class to campus for the beginning of the fall semester. The Wolfpack has signed eight high school and eight junior college players, including three catchers, one first baseman, four middle infielders, three outfielders, three righthanded pitchers and two lefthanded pitchers.
Of the 16 players signed, six are from North Carolina, including four players who were named all-state in 2003 - righthanded pitcher Adam McLaurin and Caleb Mangum of Fuquay-Varina High School, righthanded pitcher Gib Hobson of North Forsyth High School, and infielder Bobby Hubbard of T.C. Roberson High School. The Pack also signed promising lefthander Matt Blinson from Clayton High School and righthander Jeffrey Stallings of D.H. Conley High School.
"Recruiting the best in-state players will always be a priority for this progam," Avent said. "NC State has a tradition of recruiting outstanding players from the state of North Carolina, and we really like the in-state kids we have signed in this class. We think they'll be an important part of our program for the next four years."
With six starting position players from this past season's standout team departed by either graduation or the major league draft, Avent and assistant head coach Billy Jones concentrated heavily on recruiting everyday players, with an eye on both rebuilding the starting lineup and adding depth to the program. The 11 new position players should compete with a talented core of holdovers in the battle for starting roles in 2004. That competition should give the Wolfpack its deepest and strongest roster in several years.
Seven of the Wolfpack's eight junior college signees are position players, including three outfielders, two catchers and two infielders. Three of the eight juco signees - infielder Tim Holt of Bellevue (Wash.) Community College, first baseman Mike Jensen of Kirkwood (Iowa) Community College and catcher Jake Muyco of Columbia Basin (Wash.) Community College - left junior college a year early and have three years of college eligibility remaining.
Three of the four high school position players earned all-state honors in their respective states, including infielder Eric Taylor, who was named first-team all-state in Texas's rigorous 5-A classification after a sensational senior season at Flower Mound High School in Dallas.
"Anyone who follows our program knows that we lost a lot of offense from this past year's team, which was a very special team," Avent said. "We're very confident that the new guys we have coming in are capable of helping us compete right away, and that the combination of these newcomers along with the holdovers from last year will provide us with a strong nucleus for 2004 and beyond."
While NC State lost the bulk of its offense from 2003, the Pack returns a deep and talented pitching staff. Despite the returning numbers on the mound, all five new pitchers have a chance to contribute. Juco lefthander Brandon Knapp of Midland (Texas) Junior College has the most seasoning of the new hurlers, but underwent arm surgery this summer and may miss time during his rehab. Both Hobson and McLauren were all-state selections and started the East-West Senior All-Star Game at the State Games of North Carolina. In addition, the coaching staff believes that both Blinson and Stallings have high ceilings with a chance to be front-line college pitchers.
The Wolfpack begins conditioning work soon after the start of classes on August 20, and will begin the difficult task of following up the 2003 team's success when fall practice begins in October. Avent expects that this year's recruits will play a key role when NC State opens the 2004 season in February.
"We knew that we were going to lose a great deal from last year's team," Avent said. "Chad Orvella, Jeremy Dutton, Justin Riley, Adam Hargrave and Dustin Murphy were all seniors, and Colt Morton and Joe Gaetti were draft-eligible juniors. Those seven guys meant so much to this program. So we had obvious needs, and worked very hard in recruiting to fill those needs. We'll find out soon enough how successful we were, but we believe that this is a very talented group of newcomers that will help us right away."
2003-04 NC State Baseball Newcomers
Matt Blinson/lhp/6-3/195/L-L/Clayton HS, Clayton, N.C. Matt Went 10-2 with a 1.09 ERA as a senior in 2003 for Clayton High School ... Started 13 games, worked 82 innings, and recorded 111 strikeouts and just 23 walks ... Earned all-conference honors in the Big Eight 3-A Conference ... Played right field when he wasn't pitching and batted .389 with three home runs and 26 RBIs ... Helped lead Clayton to a 14-11 overall record and the second round of the state 3-A playoffs ... Went 7-5 with a 1.13 ERA as a junior in 2002, earning first-team all-conference ... Is a first cousin to former NC State standouts Corey and Craig Lee ... Also recruited by North Carolina.
Jonathan Diaz/ss/5-9/165/B-R/Coral Gables HS, Miami, Fla. Earned honorable-mention for All-Dade County by The Miami Herald after hitting .323 with six doubles and one home run as a senior in 2003 for Coral Gables High School ... Helped lead Coral Gables to a 15-10 record and a berth in the Florida 6-A state playoffs ... Recruited by Florida International in addition to NC State.
Gib Hobson/rhp/6-3/190/R-R/North Forsyth HS, Pfafftown, N.C. Went 10-0 with a 1.53 ERA as a senior at North Forsyth ... Earned first-team 4-A all-state honors for the second year in a row from the North Carolina High School Baseball Coaches Association ... Pitched 64 innings in 12 games, and allowed 34 hits and 30 walks while striking out 90 ... Named Player of the Year in the Metro 4-A Conference ... Helped lead North Forsyth to a 22-5 record and a berth in the North Carolina Western 4-A championship series ... Pitched for the West team in the 2003 State Games of North Carolina's Senior All-Star Game, squaring off against fellow NC State signee Adam McLaurin ... Went 8-1 with a 1.08 ERA as a junior in 2002 to earn first-team all-state honors by the North Carolina High School Baseball Coaches Association ... Allowed 23 hits, walked 23 and struck out 71 in 52 innings ... Held opponents to a .124 batting average ... Tossed a no-hitter on April 16 vs. East Forsyth ... Batted .303 with 20 RBIs ... Helped lead North Forsyth to a 20-6 record and the Metro 4-A Conference championship ... Played in the 2002 State Games of North Carolina ... Was team MVP as a sophomore and junior ... Member of the National Honor Society ... Recruited by North Carolina, Wake Forest and East Carolina.
Tim Holt/ss/5-8/170/R-R/Bellevue (Wash.) CC, Everett, Wash. Played in just a handful of games before injuring his left hammate bone and missing the rest of the 2003 season ... Recovered in time to play summer baseball for the Kirkland Kodiaks of the Pacific International League, batting .286 with four doubles, 10 RBIs and 18 runs scored in 20 games ... Will have three years of eligibility at NC State ... Batted .300 with five doubles, one triple, 12 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 30 games as a freshman at Bellevue in 2002, earning Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) all-star honors for the league's North Division ... Struck out just nine times in 163 plate appearances while drawing 21 walks for an on-base percentage of .399 ... Played at Bellevue with current NC State outfielder Lee Mezistrano ... Led Bellevue in at-bats (140), runs scored (32), and hits (42) ... Made all-region infielder and was also selected to the all-tourney team at the NWAACC Tournament ... Was selected to play in Team One West Showcase in Tempe, Arizona ... Played summer ball for the Everett Merchants of the Pacific International League, and was an honorable mention All-PIC selection ... Also recruited by Wake Forest. High school: Four-year letter-winner for Lake Stevens High School for Coach Roger Anderson ... Played two years for Washington Bankers Connie Mack team, which won back-to-back state titles ... Earned All-WesCo 3A infield honors, and was named all-area and all-state by The Everett Herald as a senior in 2001 ... Was picked as one of the top infielders in the state to represent Washington in the interstate series between Oregon and Washington's best prep baseball players ... Born November 3, 1982, in Everett, Wash. ... Son of Bob and Jean Holt.
Bobby Hubbard/2b-ss/6-0/165/L-R/T.C. Roberson HS, Asheville, N.C. Earned first-team 3-A all-state honors by the North Carolina High School Baseball Coaches Association after batting .494 with 14 doubles, six home runs and 38 RBIs for Roberson High School ... Also named first-team all-conference in the Mountain Athletic 3-A Conference, and was named to The Asheville Citizen-Times's All-Western North Carolina team ... Earned first-team All-Mountain Athletic Conference honors after hitting .386 with three home runs and 29 RBIs as a junior in 2002 ... Had a .527 on-base percentage and a .651 slugging percentage ... Helped lead T.C. Roberson to a 27-2 record, a No. 37 national ranking by Baseball America, and the 2002 North Carolina 3-A state championship at NC State's Doak Field ... Named first-team all-conference in the Mountain Athletic Conference ... Batted .660 in the 2002 State Games of North Carolina.
Mike Jensen/1b/6-3/235/R-R/Kirkwood (Iowa) CC, Knoxville, Iowa Has signed with NC State after just one year of junior college baseball, and will have three years of eligibility remaining with the Wolfpack ... Batted .348 with 15 doubles and team highs of 16 home runs and 61 RBIs as a freshman ... Helped lead Kirkwood CC to a 36-22 record and a second-place finish in the Iowa Community College Conference ... Posted a .439 on-base percentage and a .696 slugging percentage ... Also recruited by Southwest Missouri State.
Ryan Johnson/of/5-11/185/R-R/New Mexico JC, Dallas, Texas Was a first team All-WJCAC selection after hitting .438 with nine doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 55 RBIs and 11 steals in 12 attempts as a sophomore in 2003 ... Had a .543 on-base percentage and a .710 slugging percentage ... Helped lead New Mexico JC to a 43-14 overall record and a second-place finish in Western Junior College Athletic Conference's North Division ... Hit .417 with four doubles, two triples, two home runs, 18 RBIs and 10 steals as a freshman in 2002 ... Had an outstanding high school career at Flower Mound High School in Dallas, the same school that produced fellow Wolfpack signee Eric Taylor Also recruited by Texas A&M and Texas Tech.
Bryan Kinneberg/of/5-9/180/L-R/Phoenix (Ariz.) College, Peoria, Ariz. Batted .328 with 12 doubles, six triples two home runs and 30 RBIs as a sophomore at Phoenix College in 2003 ... Ranked among the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference leaders in batting and triples, ranking fourth in three-baggers ... Earned all-conference honors in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference ... Earned NJCAA Division II All-Southwest District honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association ... Batted .343 with two home runs as a freshman to help Phoenix advance to the 2002 NJCAA World Series.
Brandon Knapp/lhp/6-3/225/L-L/Midland (Texas) JC, Amarillo, Texas Honorable mention All-WJCAC selection after going 12-2 with a 3.41 ERA as a sophomore in 2003 ... Made 13 starts in 15 games ... Threw 89-2/3 innings, allowing 86 hits, walking 15 and striking out 81 ... Threw two shutouts over the course of the season ... Saw limited action as a freshman, compiling a 1-1 record with a save and a 4.15 ERA in 11 appearances, all in relief ... Worked just 17-1/3 innings, walking eight and striking out 23 ... Played high school ball at Randall High School in Amarillo, Texas ... Also recruited by Texas Tech.
Caleb Mangum/of/5-11/165/R-R/Fuquay-Varina HS, Fuquay-Varina, N.C. Batted .388 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs in 25 games for Fuquay-Varina as a senior in 2003 ... Earned first-team all-state honors by the North Carolina High School Baseball Coaches Association for the second consecutive season ... Helped lead Fuquay-Varina to a 22-3 record and the finals of the Eastern 4-A state playoffs ... Named first-team all-conference in the Tri-Seven 4-A Conference ... Batted .367 with five doubles, one triple, four home runs, 33 RBIs and seven steals in 29 games as a junior in 2002 for Fuquay-Varina's North Carolina 4-A state champions ... Named first-team all-state by the North Carolina High School Baseball Coaches Association ... Helped lead F-V to a 26-3 overall record and a No. 17 national ranking by Baseball America ... Drew 10 walks and struck out just eight times in 107 plate appearances ... Had a .430 on-base percentage and a .578 slugging percentage ... Named first-team all-conference in the Tri-Seven 4-A Conference ... Recruited by North Carolina and East Carolina in addition to NC State.
Adam McLaurin/rhp/6-0/190/R-R/Fuquay-Varina HS, Fuquay-Varina, N.C. Went 9-0 with a 0.95 ERA for Fuquay-Varina as a senior in 2003 ... Earned first-team 4-A all-state honors by the North Carolina High School Baseball Coaches Association ... Pitched in 10 games, all starts, and allowed 21 hits and 15 walks while striking out 112 in 74 innings ... Batted .338 as FV's right fielder when not pitching ... Pitched for the East All-Star team in the Senior East-West All-Star Game at the State Games of North Carolina ... Was matched up with fellow Wolfpack signee Gib Hobson ... Went 5-1 with two saves and a 2.13 ERA for Fuquay-Varina's 2002 North Carolina 4-A state championship team ... Made nine appearances on the mound and allowed 16 hits, walked 15 and struck out 37 in 26 1/3 innings pitched ... Missed part of the season with a broken thumb ... Helped lead Fuquay-Varina to a 26-3 overall record and a No. 17 national ranking by Baseball America ... Batted .333 with a team-high nine doubles, two home runs, 21 runs scored and 10 RBIs in 24 games in the outfield ... Went 10-1 as a sophomore in 2001, with the one loss coming in the second round of the state 4-A playoffs ... Earned first-team all-conference honors in 2001 ... Has recorded 128 strikeouts in 78 career innings ... Also recruited by North Carolina and South Carolina.
Jake Muyco/c/6-0/175/R-R/Columbia Basin (Wash.) CC, Richland, Wash. Signed with NC State after just one year of junior college, and will have three years of eligibility remaining ... Batted .305 with six doubles, one triple and 14 RBIs in 33 games as a freshman at Columbia Basin ... Earned second-team all-conference honors in the Northwest Athletic Assocition of Community Colleges (NWAACC), and was first-team All-Eastern Division in the NWAACC ... Considered one of the top defensive junior college catchers on the West Coast, and caught a pitching staff that compiled a microscopic team ERA of 1.36 ... Threw out a remarkable 70 percent of opposing basestealers, and had just one passed ball in 263 innings behind the plate ... Helped lead Columbia Basin to a 23-5 record and a first-place finish in the NWAAC's Eastern Division ... Drafted in the 33rd round by the Baltimore Orioles in Major League Baseball's 2003 First-Year Player Draft ... Played one game of summer baseball for the Wenatchee AppleSox of the Pacific International League, collecting a single and a walk in his only two plate appearances ... Summer was cut short when he suffered a stress fracture in his right tibia ... Also recruited by Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Clemson. High school: Batted .425 with 12 doubles, three triples and 27 RBIs as a senior at Richland High School in 2002 to earn Big Nine Conference Player of the Year ... Drew 17 walks and struck out just 12 times ... Helped lead Richland to a 23-3 record and a third-place finish in the state tournament ... Drafted by Tampa Bay in the 36th round of the 2002 Major League Baseball first-Year Player Draft ... Batted .312 with 22 RBIs to earn All-Big-Nine Conference honors as a junior in 2001 ... Threw out 17 basestealers that season, including seven in one doubleheader.
Jason St. Julian/of/6-2/180/B-R/Frank Phillips (Texas) JC, Sugarland, Texas Honorable mention All-WJCAC after hitting .387 with seven doubles, four triples, three home runs, 33 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 10 attempts as a sophomore in 2003 ... Had a .507 on-base percentage and a .588 slugging percentage ... Helped lead Frank Phillips JC to a 31-18 overall record and a third-place finish in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference's North Division ... Was a prep standout at St. Thomas More High School in Sugarland, Texas.
Jeffrey Stallings/rhp/6-4/175/R-R/D.H. Conley HS, Greenville, N.C. Went 8-4 with a save and a 1.29 ERA as a senior in 2003 at D.H. Conley High School ... Made 12 starts and 13 total appearances, and wound up pitching 76 innings ... Allowed 51 hits, walked 28 and struck out 115 ... Was named first-team all-conference in the Big East 4-A Conference ... Selected to play for the East team in the East-West Senior All-Star Game at the State Games of North Carolina, but did not participate ... Earned all-conference and all-state honors as a junior in 2002 at Arendall Parrott Academy ... Went 5-2 with three saves and a 1.52 ERA ... Struck out 64 in 46 2/3 innings ... Pitched in the 2002 State Games of North Carolina and was the winning pitcher in the Gold Medal game ... Did not allow an earned run in the entire tournament ... Played in the Baseball America Perfect Game Wooden Bat World Championships in September 2002 in Jupiter, Florida ... Also recruited by East Carolina.
Nick Stillwagon/c/6-0/185/R-R/Mississippi Gulf Coast JC, Biloxi, Miss. Batted .339 with 12 doubles, five home runs and 25 RBIs as a sophomore at Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College in 2003 ... Earned first-team all-state and All-NJCAA Region XXIII honors ... Had a .518 slugging percentage and a .465 on-base percentage ... Threw out 62 percent of opposing basestealers (18 of 29) ... Batted .310 with three homers and 20 RBIs as a freshman in 2002 to earn second-team all-state honors ... Also recruited by Louisiana-Lafayette. High school: Was a standout at Biloxi (Miss.) High School ... Was drafted by Milwaukee in the 49th round of Major League Baseball's 2001 First-Year Player Draft.
Eric Taylor/inf/6-2/185/R-R/Flower Mound HS, Dallas, Texas Earned first-team all-state honors in Texas's 5-A classification after hitting .413 with six home runs and 33 RBIs as a senior in 2003 ... Went 5-1 with five saves and a 1.93 ERA as a pitcher ... Named the Texas District 7-5A Player of the Year ... Batted .478 in the state 5A playoffs ... Helped lead Flower Mound to a 32-6 record and the state semifinals ... Batted .386 with two doubles, two triples, one home run, 19 runs scored and 13 RBIs in 20 games as a junior in 2002 for Flower Mound ... Earned second-team All-District 6-5A honors ... Batted a team-high .371 with eight doubles, 18 runs scored and 10 stolen bases in 26 games and was named second-team all-district as a sophomore in 2001 ... Has played the last two summers with the Dallas Mustangs 16-U team ... Also recruited by Arizona.
