University of Tennessee Athletics
Baseball Vols Sign Eight in Early Signing Period
November 20, 2003 | Baseball
Nov. 20, 2003
Tennessee head baseball coach Rod Delmonico announced the signing of eight student-athletes for the 2005 season. Among the class that includes six pitchers, an outfielder and one catcher, are three top 100 national prospects.
Jay Rainville and Will Jostock highlight the incoming crop of pitchers that includes two previously drafted junior college hurlers. Rainville is a projected first rounder and rated among the top 10 draft prospects in the nation. He is listed as the No. 6 prep prospect in the country by Baseball America Prospects Plus, while Jostock is listed at No. 49. Both are the top players in Rhode Island and Michigan, respectively. James Adkins, a left-handed pitcher from Mt. Juliet, Tenn., is No. 94.
"We went after and got a couple of the top players in the country," said Delmonico. "We recruited need by signing six pitchers, while also getting a couple of key position players that we expect to be impact players. I really think this could be one of the best classes we have ever netted. Now we just have to sit back and see what happens with the draft next June."
Rainville, who has a 92-95-mph fastball, was selected as the 2003 Gatorade Player of the Year in Rhode Island after fashioning a 9-0 mark and averaging 15 strikeouts per game as a junior. The 6-3, 220-pound right-hander was also named to the American Baseball Coaches Association All-Region squad. In August, he participated in the AFLAC All-American High School Baseball Classic, a game pitting the top 38 prep players in the country. Rainville struck out five in two innings of relief. He was also selected as a second-team all-state defenseman by the Providence Journal-Bulletin in hockey as a sophomore.
Jostock, the 24th-ranked right-hander, has 16 career shutouts, tying the state record. During his junior campaign, he posted a 0.50 ERA in 83.2 innings with 168 strikeouts. The 6-6, 190-pound right-hander even tossed consecutive no-hitters. During his sophomore season, he posted a 0.69 ERA in 101 innings, notching seven shutouts.
He has two of the top 12 single-season ERAs in state history and boasts a 1.36 career ERA in 257.1 innings, tying for ninth-best in state history. His 403 strikeouts ranks 13th in state history.
At the World Wood Bat Association World Championships, pitching at 91-94 mph, he overmatched a stacked team featuring future top draft picks. He is able to throw consistent strikes with all three of his pitches. Jostock's breaking ball is a mid-70's curve ball that may evolve into a slider in the future, and he also throws an upper 70's split finger as a changeup, which could get nasty as he matures.
Adkins, from Wilson Central High School, is rated No. 9 in the state by Prospects Plus and the No. 16 left-hander nationally. He has a very good pitcher's body and the potential to throw in the low-90s. At 6-5, 185 pounds, Adkins was rated as the No. 5 prospect at the East Coast Showcase with his outstanding curve ball and was said to rate among the nation's best lefties. He also participated at the 2003 WWBA Jupiter, Fla., in October.
Another prep star is catcher, Jonathan Arencibia (aaron-see-be-ah), is listed at No. 127 in the country by Prospects Plus while being ranked as the No. 4 catcher and the No. 28 player in the state of Florida and the No. 13 catcher nationally. At the East Coast Baseball Showcase held in Wilmington, N.C., this past summer, he was rated as the No. 23 player and the No. 1 catcher in a showcase filled with good catchers. There, the 6-2, 200-pounder exhibited a strong and accurate throwing arm and was solid behind the plate.
The final prepster is Julio Borbon, a speedy outfielder from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, who could be one of the fastest players in the college game after being clocked running a 6.3-second 60-yard dash. He is the first player to join the Vols from outside the continental United States since first baseman Eduardo Figueroa came from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, in 1995. Borbon played for the Dulin Dodgers from Memphis, Tenn., this past summer. The Dodgers participated in the prestigious WWBA World Wood Bat Championship in Jupiter, Fla., in October.
The first of three junior college players is Adam Howard, a 6-6, 200-pound right-hander from Walters (Tenn.) State. He was drafted by Pittsburgh in the 34th round in 2002. Howard helped lead his team to a 47-13 record and a third-place finish at the 2003 Junior College World Series after winning the East Central District, the Region VII and State Championships. During the regular season he was 3-2 with a 2.62 ERA in 44.2 innings with 43 strikeouts and seven walks. He appeared in 10 games, making five starts with three complete games. He attended Ooltewah High School, helping lead his team to the state tournament in 2002.
Chris Malone, who was drafted by Kansas City in the 36th round in June, was a first team All-Bay Valley East Conference choice at San Joaquin Delta College. The 6-4, 210-pound right-hander went 8-3 with a 2.77 ERA, striking out 84 and walking 36. He tossed five complete games while allowing just 68 hits in 100.2 innings.
Jabe Beard, a 6-2, 205-pound right-hander, was the ace of the pitching staff that helped lead the Community College of Southern Nevada (55-10) to the 2003 NJCAA World Series title in just its fourth year of existence. Beard compiled a 13-1 mark for the Scenic West Athletic Conference champions with a sparkling 1.93 ERA in 84.0 innings with 85 strikeouts and 21 walks. Opponents hit .205 off him as he tossed three complete games, including two during the Coyotes' run to the national title.
The Henderson, Nev., native was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association Division I Junior College All-America team as well as being the SWAC player of the year and an ABCA Western District All-Region selection. He was also selected to the JUCO World Series All-Tournament team. At Foothill High School, Beard pitched and played third base. As a senior he hit .445 with a team-high 31 RBI en route to first team All-Sunrise Region honors in 2002. He also went 4-5 with a 3.73 ERA on the hill. As an outside linebacker he garnered second-team all-region honors.
| TENNESSEE BASEBALL NEWCOMERS FOR 2005 SEASON | |||||
| NAME | POS | HT | WT | B/T | HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS SCHOOL) |
| James Adkins | LHP | 6-5 | 185 | L/L | Mt. Juliet, Tenn. (Wilson Central HS) |
| Jonathan Arencibia | C | 6-2 | 200 | R/R | Miami, Fla. (Westminster Christian) |
| Jabe Beard | RHP | 6-2 | 205 | R/R | Henderson, Nev. (CC of Southern Nevada/Foothill HS) |
| Julio Borbon | OF | 6-1 | 170 | L/L | Santo Domingo, D.R. (Colegio Dominicano De La Salle) |
| Will Jostock | RHP | 6-6 | 190 | R/R | Lapeer, Mich. (Lapeer West HS) |
| ^Adam Howard | RHP | 6-6 | 210 | R/R | Ooltewah, Tenn. (Walters State CC/Ooltewah HS) |
| ^Chris Malone | RHP | 6-4 | 210 | R/R | Modesto, Calif. (San Joaquin Delta College) |
| Jay Rainville | RHP | 6-3 | 220 | R/R | Pawtucket, R.I. (Bishop Hendricken HS) |
| ^Previously Drafted | |||||
