University of Tennessee Athletics
BASEBALL TEAM ADDS EIGHT SIGNEES DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
November 14, 2005 | Baseball
Nov. 14, 2005
Tennessee head baseball coach Rod Delmonico announced Monday that eight players have signed national letters of intent to join the Volunteers for the 2007 season. The highly-touted crop of signees includes four of the top arms in South Florida, a twice-drafted junior college pitcher, a pair of talented infield prospects and arguably the top high school hitter in the state of Tennessee.
"Obviously by signing another strong group of players we feel like we're continuing to build on the momentum of reaching the College World Series last spring and bringing in a top-10 recruiting class this fall," Delmonico said. "I'm extremely excited to have these eight young men join our program. They should have an immediate impact on our team's success."
Left-handed pitcher Bryan Morgado (pronounced: mohr-GAH-doh) from Florida Christian High School in Miami, Fla., is rated by Baseball America as the 35th-ranked overall high school senior in the country. A first-team All-State selection and the 2005 Miami Herald Pitcher of the Year, Morgado posted a 9-1 record and a 0.76 ERA as a junior with 117 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched. He helped lead Florida Christian to a state title and a No. 5 national ranking.
Fellow Florida Christian standout Shane Hill has also signed with Tennessee. An All-Dade County right-handed pitcher, Hill fashioned a 1.07 ERA in 2005 while posting a 6-0 mark with 67 strikeouts in 42 innings. He played summer ball with the Midland Redskins out of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Yet another pair of high school teammates -- right-hander Ryan Butner and left-hander Nick Hernandez of Miami's Hialeah High School -- have signed letters of intent to play for the Vols beginning in 2007.
Butner is listed by Baseball America as the 120th-best high school senior in the nation. He was named All-Dade County as a junior in 2005 after going 6-4 with a 1.91 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 44.2 innings of work.
Hernandez was an All-Dade County pick and also earned honorable mention All-State status in 2005. His record as a junior was 9-2 with a 0.88 ERA and 76 Ks in 63.1 innings. His father, Nick, is a former catcher at Hialeah who was drafted No. 8 overall by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1978. And his uncle, Angel Hernandez, has been an MLB umpire for 13 years and recently worked the 2005 World Series.
Morgado, Butner and Hernandez were all members of the 2005 18 & Under World Wood Bat Champion Florida Bombers summer team. Morgado went 5-0 with a 1.91 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 29.1 innings and was named tournament co-MVP. Butner went 3-1 with a 0.74 ERA, and Hernandez was 2-0 with eight saves and a 0.99 ERA.
Right-handed pitcher Michael Dubee is an All-Conference selection out of Okaloosa-Walton (Fla.) Community College who turned in an 8-3 record and a 3.19 ERA in 2005. He recorded 75 strikeouts to just 13 walks in 87.1 innings of action.
Dubee was drafted in the 20th round in 2004 by the Chicago White Sox and was then picked in the 32nd round in 2005 by the Kansas City Royals. His father, Rich, is the pitching coach for the Philadelphia Phillies and was a third-round pick by the Royals in 1976.
Jeffrey Lockwood is a familiar name to baseball fans in the Knoxville area, as the All-State standout from Halls High School has won back-to-back District Player of the Year awards. A first baseman, outfielder and left-handed pitcher, Lockwood also garnered 2005 Region Player of the Year acclaim after batting .469 with 14 homers and 62 RBIs as a junior. As a sophomore he hit .459 with 14 long balls and 53 RBIs. On the mound, he owns a 14-3 record over the last two seasons with a 1.62 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 2005 and a 1.57 ERA and 87 Ks in 2004.
Baseball America rates Lockwood as the 259th-best high school senior in America.
The Vols also signed one of the top hitters in Miami in Southridge High School catcher/infielder Yan Gomes (pronounced: YAHN GOHMS). Gomes was a 2005 All-Dade County selection and is rated by Baseball America as the 143rd-best high school senior in the nation. As a junior he hit .481 with five home runs and 25 RBIs.
Jackson State (Tenn.) Community College infielder Kyle Blackwood rounds out the Vols' early signing class. An All-District and All-Region honoree, Blackwood hit .427 with two home runs, four triples, 12 doubles and 37 RBIs while attending Shawnee (Ill.) Community College in 2005.
