North Carolina State University Athletics
Baseball Nets 10 Recruits During Fall Signing Period
12/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. Quality over quantity. That was the recruiting mantra for NC State baseball this fall.
Unlike a year ago, when head coach Elliott Avent and staff signed 17 players to grants-in-aid, the Wolfpack targeted specific needs for its fall 2007 class and narrowed its focus specifically to those needs, including pitching, infielders, and power hitters. According to associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Tom Holliday, the resulting 10-man baseball recruiting class that NC State signed is strong enough to address those needs immediately.
“This is a very strong recruiting class aimed at shoring up the immediate concerns of the program,” Holliday said. “This class is loaded with talent that can come in and perform immediately. We focused on power bats and power arms, with an emphasis on quality, not quantity.”
The Wolfpack’s recruiting class was split down the middle, with five pitchers and five position players. With as many as eight pitchers on NC State’s 2008 roster eligible for the MLB draft in June, Holliday focused on pitchers who could step in and contribute immediately. He scored big with high school righthanders Greg Conver of Margate, Fla., Mike Russo of Princeton, N.J., Cory Mazzoni of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Zak Sinclair of Imperial, Pa., and heralded juco lefthander John Lambert, who will transfer in from Santa Fe Community College.
For position players, Holliday looked for players with power potential, such as infielder/outfielder Cameron Connor from Fuquay-Varina. Connor is one of five position players in this class, and all five project to have offensive potential at the collegiate level. Infielder Andrew Ciencin of Cranford, N.J., outfielder John Giannis of Princeton, N.J., infielder Biss Larsen of Bountiful, Utah, and first baseman Harold Riggins of Normal, Ill., round out the list of position players signed by the Wolfpack.
With so many high-profile prospects in this year’s signing class, NC State will have to wait and see how many signees it will lose to the Major League Baseball draft the first week of June. There is little question in Holliday’s mind that several of this year’s signees will be drafted in June.
“It could be a very interesting draft day for us in June, to see how many of these guys will show up on campus in August,” Holliday said. “We’re very satisfied with the results of the early signing period, and hope to add a couple more commitments in the spring period.”
Following are thumbnail sketches of NC State’s 10 fall signees:
Andrew Ciencin, INF, Cranford (N.J.) HS
Named third-team all-state as a junior by the Associated Press ... Earned first-team all-conference and first-team All-Union County honors as a junior in 2007 ... Named County Player of the Year by The Newark Star-Ledger ... Batted .441 (41-for-93) with 19 doubles, three triples, four home runs and 39 RBIs as a junior in 2007 ... Went 7-for-15 with five doubles and six RBIs as Cranford rolled to the county title ... Was 5-for-15 with three home runs, five runs and eight RBIs in five state tournament games ... Boasted a .550 on-base percentage and batted just under .500 with runners in scoring position ... Has a career average of .455 (120-for-264) ... Fielded .970 in 135 chances at shortstop as a junior ... Helped lead Cranford to the county championship as a junior, and a berth in the Group 3 state championship game ... Is ranked No. 658 nationally by Perfect Game.
NC State recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tom Holliday: “Andrew Ciencin could be a steady, solid middle infielder for the Wolfpack, with outstanding hitting potential.”
Cameron Connor, INF/OF, Fuquay-Varina (N.C.) HS
Batted .441 (25-for-68) with nine home runs and 31 RBIs as a junior in 2007 ... Drew nine walks and was hit by four pitches for a .512 on-base percentage ... Helped lead Fuquay-Varina to a 15-9 record ... Named all-state and all-conference in the Tri-8 4-A Confernece ... Hit .500 with six home runs as a sophomore in 2006 to lead FVHS to a 20-9 record and a berth in the state 4-A semifinals ... Played in the State Games of North Carolina as a sophomore and junior ... Also played in the 2007 East Coast Pro Showcase and Arera Code Games ... Ranked No. 137 nationally by Perfect Game ... Ranked No. 281 by Baseball America’s Prospects Plus.
NC State recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tom Holliday: “Cameron Connor is a local kid with plus tools across the board. He has arm strength, can run, and he hits with power. He could develop into the most complete tools’ outfielder in the southeast region on the country.”
Greg Conver, RHP, 6-5, 200, R/R, American Heritage High School, Margate, Fla.
Pitched in 2007 at Northeast High School in Overland Park, Fla. ... Ranked as the No. 129 high school prospect in the country by Baseball America ... Made two appearances for USA Baseball’s junior national team in 2007, struck out six and had a 2.25 ERA four total innings ... Chosen to play in the 2007 Baseball Factory/Team One Cape Cod Baseball Classic ... Chosen to play in Perfect Game USA’s 2007 World Showcase ... Projected as a top 100 player for the 2008 MLB Draft by MLBDraftsite.com.
NC State recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tom Holliday: “Greg Conver should compete for a spot in our weekend starting rotation as a freshman. He’s a complete pitcing prospect and could be a very high draft pick come the June draft.”
John Gianis, OF, The Hun School of Princeton, Princeton, New Jersey
Named the Colonial Hills Conference Player of the Year ... Batted .525 with 14 extra-base hits, 35 runs and 48 steals ... Is a teammate of fellow Wolfpack signee Mike Russo.
NC State recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tom Holliday: “John Gianis is a world-class soccer player who chose NC State over an all-soccer scholarship and professional soccer in England. He possesses all the tools to become a big-time center fielder at both the collegiate and professional levels.”
John Lambert, LHP, 6-7, 210, L/L, Santa Fe (N.M.) Community College, Chesterton (Ind.) HS
Went 2-2 with an 8.31 ERA in 10 appearances as a freshman at Wright State in 2007 ... Made six starts and worked 21 2/3 innings, allowed 33 hits, walked 18 and struck out 14 ... Named a Puma All-American as a senior at Chesterton High School in 2006 ... Named first-team all-state as a senior in 2006 ... Named first-team All-Duneland Athletic Conference as a junior in 2005 and as a senior in 2006 ... Drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 37th round of the 2006 MLB First Year Player Draft ... Born October 11, 1987 ... Is the son of Bob and Leslie Lambert
NC State recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tom Holliday: “John Lambert was the best lefthanded junior college pitching prospect seen by our coaching staff for the 2008 season. He could be a special pitcher because of his stuff and his ability to pitch at a high level right now. He was a very important sign for NC State.”
Chris “Biss” Larsen, 3B, Viewmont HS, Bountiful, Utah
Earned all-state and all region honors in baseball as a junior in 2007 ... Member of the Utah Junior Olympic team ... Won 2008 Prospect Game Home Run Derby ... All-state and all-region in football as a junior in 2006 ... Broke records at Viewmont for passing yards and touchdowns thrown
NC State recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tom Holliday: “Biss Larsen is a prospect for the future. He’s a third-base prospect with a plus arm and power. He’s been a very successful two-sport athlete in high school, so how he matures as he settles into just being a baseball player will be interesting to watch, and will determine how quickly he can contribute collegiately.”
Cory Mazzoni, RHP, Seneca Valley HS, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Went 11-0 with a 1.17 ERA as a junior in 2007 ... Struck out 96 in 78 innings ... Also batted .352 with six home runs and 24 RBIs ... Named player of the year, all-section and All-PG North for 2007 by The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ... Ranked No. 236 nationally by Perfect Game ... Went 4-2 with a 3.06 ERA as a sophomore in 2006, striking out 44 in 48 innings ... Struck out 21 in 24 1/3 innings as a freshman in 2005.
NC State recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tom Holliday: “Cory Mazzoni has a very easy motion and arm action, a la Greg Maddux. He should contribute immediately with his stuff, his command and his mound presence.”
Harold Riggins, 1B, 6-2, 235, Normal West HS, Normal, Illinois
Batted .342 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs as a junior in 2007 ... Participated in the Area Code Games ... Participated in the Pitch & Hit Club of Chicago High School Baseball Showcase on Oct. 6 in Joliet, Ill. ... Ranked No. 308 nationally by Perfect Game USA.
NC State recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tom Holliday: “Harold Riggins is a power bat in a class that does not have an abundance of power hitters nationally. He’s a combination contact hitter and power hitter with unlimited potential offensively.”
Mike Russo, RHP, 6-4, 205, The Hun School of Princeton, Princeton, New Jersey
Went 6-1 with a 0.94 ERA, 57 strikeouts and 14 walks in 50 innings as a junior in 2007 ... Hit .470 with seven home runs and a school-record 42 RBIs ... Helped lead Hun to a 20-4 season (a school record for wins in a season) and the state Prep A championship ... Named area player of the year by The Newark Star-Ledger ... Invited to the 2007 USA Junior National Team trials ... Ranked No. 228 nationally by Perfect Game USA ... Ranked No. 147 nationally by Baseball America’s Prospects Plus.
NC State recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tom Holliday: “Mike Russo has a great power arm with lots of upside for the future. He has a big body and pitches at 90 mph easily. He has the potential to contribute immediately.”
Zak Sinclair, RHP, 6-4, 225, West Alleghaney HS, Imperial, Pa.
Went 7-1 with a 2.13 ERA as a junior in 2007 ... Struck out 66 in 52 2/3 innings ... Also batted .375 (27-for-72) with eight doubles, two triples, three home runs and 30 RBIs ... Led West Alleghaney to the 2007 WPIAL championship ... Ranked No. 107 nationally by Perfect Game USA, and #1 in the Northeast Region ... Ranked No. 163 nationally by Baseball America’s Prospects Plus ... Was the 13-year old winner in Baseball America’s 2003 Baseball for the Ages feature ... Others featured included Michael Main (15), Justin Upton (16), Cameron Maybin (17), Delmon Young (18) and B.J. Upton (19) ... Also plays QB for West Alleghaney and is considered a strong football prospect.
NC State recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Tom Holliday: “Zak Sinclair is a great athlete who has chosen baseball over football for his future. His pitch-ability will allow him to contribute immediately. He should compete for a weekend rotation spot as a freshman. He has all the special ability to pitch at the highest level. He will almost certainly be a high pick in the June draft.”
