FanNation - The Republic of Sport

The University of Louisville baseball team start fall practice this week. Louisville is coming off the best season in school history. Louisville brings back 17 players from last years team including Zack Pitts (Big East Pitcher of the year), Justin Marks (Freshmen of the year), Chris Dominguez, and catcher Derrick Alfonso. They also will have 20 new faces for this next year. Here is a list of the 20 new players that I got from their web site.

Drew Haynes
OF
L/L
FR
New Albany, Ind./New Albany HS
While playing at New Albany, Haynes named First Team All-State and three times All-Conference as an outfielder. Named defensive Player of the Year in Indiana and was twice team MVP. Established seven single season and career school records for the Bulldogs. Ha 75 steals, batting .425 with 11 doubles, three triples, two home runs and 25 steals his senior season. The Bulldogs were Sectional Champions and Regional Runner-up his sophomore season. Lead off for the Indiana Bulls. Attended same high school as former Cardinal Daniel Burton.

John Dao
SS/2B
R/R
JR
Fort Worth, Texas/Northeast Texas CC
Batted .405 as a JUCO sophomore with 21 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 30 RBI, 58 runs and 25 RBI, and hit .401 with 17 doubles, 4 triples, 40 RBI and 40 stolen bases as a freshman, earning All-Conference and All-Region honors both seasons. Also named to the TXNM JUCO All-Star team. Won the Texas Collegiate League batting title during the summer, earning All-League honors. A three-year All-Conference selection at Trinity Valley HS, earning All-State team as a junior and senior. Broke the school record for batting average, hitting .583 his sophomore season, hitting over .500 in each of his four years of high school. Totalled 51 doubles, 18 triples, eight home runs, 148 RBI, 127 runs and 56 steals in high school.

Stewart Ijames
OF
L/R
FR
Owensboro, Ky./Owensboro Catholic Drafted in the 46th round by the Brewers. A two-time All-State, three time All-Region and All-Area selection, he was the state tournament MVP when the Aces won the 2005 state championship. Hit 39 home runs during his career including 10 during his senior season to go with a .542 batting average. Hit .504 with 11 doubles, three triples, 13 home runs, 47 runs scored and 60 RBI his sophomore campaign. Earned five letters in baseball, four in football as a kicker and running back and lettered once in basketball. Played for the Midland Redskins.

Neil Holland
RHP
R/R
FR
Owensboro, Ky./Owensboro Catholic Posted a 31-6 record on the hill with 12 saves and 260 strikeouts in his prep career, earning First Team All-State as a senior. A three-time All-Region and All-District selection, Holland played for the East vs. West junior All-Star team. The Aces won the All A State Championship in 2005 and 2007 and he was named to the All-Tournament team. Were state runner-up in '06. A Third Team All-State receiver, lettering four times in football and twice in swimming. A three-time academic All-State selection.

Bob Revesz
LHP
L/L
FR
Grove City, Pa./Grove City HS
Drafted in the 30th round by the Pirates. An imposing 6-5 lefty who was first team All-Region, posting a 9-1 record with a 1.04 ERA and 97 strikeouts as a senior and 7-3 record on the hill with 84 strikeouts his junior year. Was District Pitcher and Player of the Year as a senior. Was a member of the 18-and-under World Wood Bat Association's Fall Championship team that competes in late in October in Jupiter, Fla. Revesz tossed five innings of three-hit baseball and earned a save for the 8-0 Reds in the 80-team tournament.

Matt Lea
RHP
R/R
SO*
Collierville, Tenn./Mississippi State
Earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors after going 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA as a freshman in seven starts, limiting opponents to a .206 average while at Mississippi State where he was also named to the 2006 SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll. Posted a 7-2 record his senior season, leading Houston HS to the 2005 Tennessee Class 3A state championship. Participated in the East Coast Pro Showcase in WIlmington, N.C., and the 2004 AFLAC All-American High School Classic in Aberdeen, Md. Son of Charlie Lea, who starred at Memphis and later pitched seven seasons in the Major Leagues.

Thomas Royse
RHP
R/R
FR
Lexington, Ky. Dunbar HS
Lead Dunbar to the 2007 State Championship with a single season record 14 wins on the hill, a 1.10 ERA and 109 strikeouts as a senior, earning All-State, All-District, Regional MVP East/West All-Star honors. Named to the 2006 All-City and District All-Tournament teams while earning the INSIGHT KHSAA Academic All-State Award. Compiled a 5-2 record with a 1.25 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 57 IP on the Regional Runner-up his junior season.

Jon Clarence
LHP
R/L
FR
Columbus, Ind./Columbus HS
Named All-State his senior season, drafted by the Brewers in the 31st round. Named preseason All-American and earned three letters for the Bulldogs, including All-Conference honors his sophomore and senior seasons. Won 15 games with 174 strikeouts in 142.0 IP over three seasons of prep baseball. Selected to play on Team Indiana. Also earned three letters as a forward on the hockey team helping the team to state runner-up finish as the second leading scorer.

Gabriel Shaw
RHP
R/R
FR
Paducah, Ky./St. Mary's HS
A two-time All-State selection, posting a 6-3 record with a 1.17 ERA and 62 K's his senior year, after going 12-1 with a 0.44 ERA and 106 strikeouts as a junior. Played in the East Coast Pro Showcase and Area Code Games. He earned five letters in baseball, also hitting 40 doubles, 16 triples and 23 home runs during his career, posting at least a .430 average all four seasons. An All-Region I performer, he was MVP of the 2006 regional tournament, helping the Vikings to a regional and sub-state championship. A four-year letterman in basketball, he has scored over 1,000 point in his prep career. He was named 2007 Biokinetics Athlete of the Year.

Andrew Clark
1B
L/L
SO
Carmel, Ind./Mississippi
Hit fourth at Ole Miss, batting .311 with four doubles, four home runs and 17 RBI in 30 games. Named MVP of the DQ classic in Minnesota. Was an AFLAC All-American, Gatorade Player of the Year and was drafted in the 18th round by the Milwaukee Brewers. Earned four letters at New Palestine High School batting .475 for his career with 26 home runs, 137 RBI, 33 doubles, eight triples and 135 runs scored ... As a pitcher, posted a 28-0 record on the mound with four saves and an 0.84 ERA, striking out 300 and walking 89 in 194.0 IP. A three-time All-State and four-time All-Conference selection ... Named a Louisville Slugger All-American as a junior ... Helped lead New Palestine to a State Championship and a Conference Championship. Played summer ball for the Midland Redskins.

Joe Devine
RHP
R/R
FR
Owensboro, Ky./Owensboro Catholic
Earned four letters in baseball and was second team All-State and was twice All-District. Went 5-1 with 31 strikeouts and an 0.90 ERA in 31 innings of work as a junior helping Catholic to a 24-6 record. He joins fellow signees Neil Holland and Stewart Ijames as well as current Cardinal Justin Marks as products of Owensboro Catholic. Won the "All A" state title in 2005 and 2007, tossing a two-hitter in the championship game.

Dean Kiekhefer
LHP
L/L
FR
Louisville, Ky./Oldham County HS
Drafted in the 37th round by the Indians after an All-State campaign, posting a 7-0 record with 99 strikeouts and a state-best 0.28 ERA. Also batted .500 with 24 steals, 37 runs and 33 RBI while playing the outfield. A two-time All-Region and All-District selection, he twice played for the East vs. West All-Star team. Coached by former Cardinal Scott Gerlach at Oldham County HS, Kiekhefer has compiled a 15-6 record with two saves and 231 strikeouts in his first three seasons of prep baseball. He was 9-0 with a 0.24 ERA and a staggering 119 K's in just 58 innings as a junior. Helped the Colonels to semi-state in '05 - the highest finish in school history. Threw a perfect game, striking out 19 of 21 batters, in a 3-0 district tournament win over North Oldham. It was his third no-hitter and second perfect game of the season. Has also earned two letters in golf.

Tyler Mickits
OF/1B
L/L
JR
Bourne, Texas/Blinn CC
A two-time First Team All-Region selection at Blinn CC. Batted .345 with nine home runs and 65 RBI as a sophomore, while hitting .341 with 13 doubles, eight home runs, 36 RBI and a .992 fielding percentage his first season at Blinn. A three-time All-State selection at Gregory-Portland HS, the lefty hit .463 with 18 doubles, five home runs 20 RBI and posted an 8-3 record, 1.93 ERA and 111 strikeouts on the hill. Named First Team All-State tight end on the Texas 4A football team in 2004.

Grason Wiggins
SS/2B
R/R
FR
Statesboro, Ga./Southeast Bulloch HS
A 6A Dugout Club All-State honoree, three-time First Team All-Region selection and Gold Glove Award winner for the Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets. Posted a .518 average with 12 doubles, three home runs, three triples, 28 stolen bases and 31 RBI his senior season. Named Baseball America second team preseason All-American. Hit .480 with 10 doubles, two triples, 19 stolen bases, 21 runs and 24 RBI in 21 games as a junior. Helped lead his team to Southeast Wood Bat Championship over the summer.

Josh Richmond
SS/2B
R/R
FR
Cincinnati, Ohio/Oakhills HS
Played for the 2007 Connie Mack World Series champion Midland Redskins, going 3 for 3 with a pair of doubles and five RBI in the championship game. Limited to just 15 games his senior season, still managing 12 extra base hits and 21 RBI. An All-Conference baseball and football selection for the Highlanders, Richmond hit .434 as a junior with 17 doubles, two triples and four home runs. He drove in 33, stole 11 bases and scored 55 runs, leading his team to a sectional championship. Batted .414 as a sophomore, scoring 40 runs. An All-City wide receiver selection.

Nate Holland
OF
R/R
FR
Louisville, Ky./Trinity HS
Named All-State, All-District, a seventh region All-Star, Kentucky West All-Star and Kentucky All-State, earning four letters from the Shamrocks. Had 24 doubles, seven triples, eight home runs, 95 RBI, 104 runs scored and 73 steals in his first three season of prep baseball. Named academic All-State. Older brother plays at Stetson.

Joe Stilphen
LHP
L/L
FR
Bay Village, Ohio/Bay HS
A 6'7" southpaw who was an All-Conference selection, he went 4-1 with a 3.20 ERA and 30 strikeouts his senior season. Competed in the Perfect Game Wood Bat World Series in Atlanta over the summer. Earned a letter in basketball, as a power forward, making All-Conference and All-District.

Jared Wondra
OF
R/R
JR
Tulsa, Oklahoma/Panola College
An All-Conference selection as a freshman at Panola, batting .381 with 15 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 25 steals and 61 runs scored. Swiped 45 bags his senior season, batting .347 with 22 extra base hits, 55 runs and 37 RBI. Played in the TX-NM JUCO All-Star game in 2006. Won state titles in football and baseball his senior season , earning All-Metro and All-Conference on the diamond. Stole 62 bases in three seasons of prep baseball adding 60 doubles.

Kyle Cheesebrough
C
R/R
JR
Rowlett, Texas/Northeast Texas CC
A two-time All-Conference selection, belting 32 doubles and driving in 47 runs in two seasons, while batting .360 and .372. Selected to compete in the TX-NM JUCO All-Star game. A three time All-District selection in high school, helping his team to the state semifinals. Earned three letters in football as a FB and WR.

Phil Wunderlich
3B/1B
L/R
FR
Chicago, Ill./Downers Grove HS
Three-year letter winner as a corner infielder for the Mustangs and two time All-State selection, he was named All-Conference and All-Area three times. Batted .491 with 15 doubles, four triples, nine home runs and drove in 58 runs as a junior, while posting a 5-1 record on the hill. Hit .427 with eight doubles, six home runs and 36 RBI his sophomore season, also lettering in football as a tight end. Has earned three academic letters and was a Wendy's high school Heisman nominee.

Again, I wanted it noted that the list and the information on the 20 new players came from Louisville Athletic web site.